Never Alone
by JulzPadfootMoony
Summary: Severus Snape is a complicated man, but when it comes to protecting Harry Potter's life, there is nothing more simple than succeeding. When Severus finds himself caring for the boy after an attack, how will their relationship change? Snape-Harry mentorfic
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Harry Potter series; it belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I am not making any profit from my writing and no copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N: **Hey there everyone! So I've been working on this story for a while now after reading a few Severitus and/or similar fics and being inspired to write my own. A little known fact about me: Severus Snape is my favourite character in the Harry Potter series, hands down. I've never been quite able to capture him correctly though, so I feel weary of writing his character. I hope that he is not so out of character in this fic as he has been in my other. I only have the prologue and two other chapters completed at this time, but I do have a plot planned out for a few more chapters to follow. I start school on Tuesday, so my time for writing may be cut down a little bit, but I promise I will not abandon this fic! Stick with me, review every chapter and let me know how I'm doing, and enjoy!

**WARNING:** This chapter is fairly short because it is only the prologue. Subsequent chapters will be much longer.

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_**Never Alone**_

**Ch1.  
Prologue**

A flash of lightning marked the loud rumble of thunder that roll through the quiet house. The jagged outline of the bolt of electricity could be seen out the thin, green curtains hanging in a small window. With another loud clap of thunder and flash of light, heavy rain began to fall, making the little bit of visible glass opaque.

Severus Snape sat in a large chintz arm chair, gazing out the window into the stormy night. He watched as the rain splashed off the dirty bricks of the surrounding houses and formed a muddy puddle in the middle of the cobble stoned street.

Tonight was the last night before he would have to return to his post as Hogwarts' Potions Master, the last night before he would have to face the one thing he had tried to avoid and ignore for ten long years – Severus Snape would meet Harry Potter tomorrow.

The tall man heaved a heavy sigh as he swirled the contents of his tumbler disinterestedly. He was far too lost in thought to care for his drink at the moment. Severus could not deny that he was curious, _very_ curious. The rumors, the lies, the tales – he wanted to see if any of it held any sort of truth. He was feeling a mixture of emotions at the moment as he reminded himself again that the boy could have died due to his own actions. Severus was not admitting pity or any form of sympathy for the boy; he was only wallowing in the self-pooling guilt he had racked up over the many years. Though he was not selfish enough to take the blame entirely regarding the boy's tragic accident, he did blame the death of the boy's parents fully on himself, particularly his mother.

The amount of guilt and stress Severus carried around was not healthy for a thirty-one year old man. He wasn't exactly a teenager, but he was still young. He still had a long life ahead of him – he hoped. He had not known the consequences of his actions would be so very personal.

Severus had been a foolish, extremely impressionable youth, sucked into the lies and deceit of the power of a new Uprising. He'd not been the only one, no, but he had placed himself in high regard to their leader, their Lord, at a very young age. Delivering that one, fateful sentence to his Master had cost him his entire life. With that one mistake, he had damned the lives of not only himself, but numerous other people. It ultimately ended in bloodshed and the orphaning of an innocent child. Severus may have thought that the Dark Lord's beliefs and ideals were right, but he was not prepared for the price Tom Riddle was willing to pay to put his ideas into affect. Attempting to kill an innocent child to gain power? How cruel, how _barbaric_! And it was Severus' fault that the Dark Lord had any knowledge of the Prophecy and went after the boy in the first place. Severus was to blame. He'd contributed to the murder of two classmates, and the attempted murder of a one year old child…Surmise it to say he did not believe in the Dark Lord's ideas any more.

Severus fingered the small charm dangling off a usually hidden silver bracelet. He always wore it, yes, but he never let anyone else see it. It was old and dented, the fake silver chipped and worn in many placed around the links and on the round charm. The letters 'L.E.' were engraved on the small charm in elaborate script and were faded into the dull metal. Nearly seventeen years, that was how long ago this bracelet was given to him. Ten years, that's how long ago he had retrieved the matching bracelet with the letters 'S.S.' engraved on the charm from the smoldering wreckage of what was once a cozy little cottage in the quiet wizarding village of Godric's Hallow. He'd risked great punishment by entering the house after the deaths of James and Lily Potter, but he couldn't just leave the bracelet there. It should be with Lily, but alas, she was long gone now…

A strong urge to go visit the quant grave of his long past best friend stole him and nagged at his nerves until he stood up and grabbed his cloak off of his coat rack. Severus clasped the silver snake button around his neck and headed out the front door of his small, dingy house. With a quick turn he was being pulled through that tight, breath-taking tube into Apparation. With a soft thud, Severus' feet hit soft, slightly damp grass in front of a rickety old gate that read 'Godric's Hallow Cemetery'. His heart pounded in his chest as he raised the hood of his cloak up to guard his face and he pushed the small gate open. He began to walk through the many old and mostly forgotten tomb stones.

A single white lily, enchanted to live forevermore, lay across the unkept grass and dirt in front of a large granite head stone. As Severus kneeled in front of the left side of the stone, he pulled his hood down so that he could see properly.

'Lily Marie Evans Potter & James Harold Ignotus Potter'  
January 30, 1960 - October 31, 1981 ~ March 27, 1960 – October 31, 1981  
_The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed Is Death…_

Severus traced his finger along the carvings of Lily's name, then traced the saying carved underneath. He never truly did understand that saying, or why exactly it was on the Potters' head stone. It sounded very much like something his past Lord would have said and not something James Potter would allow near his grave, not that he really had the choice. In fact, Severus was almost certain that it had been Albus Dumbledore who had picked the quote to be placed on the Potters' grave.

"'_The Last Enemy That Shall Be Destroyed Is Death…'_ Fitting, don't you think, Severus?"

Severus nearly toppled over as the voice sounded from the shadow of a large tree just to the left of him. He stood up quickly, his wand drawn as he pointed it towards the source of the voice. Only when he saw the form of Albus Dumbledore appearing from the shadows did he lower his wand.

"Albus, what are you doing here?" Severus snapped as he tucked his wand away, thoroughly annoyed that he had let himself become vulnerable enough to be frightened by the kindly old wizard.

Albus raised an eyebrow as he drew closer to his old pupil. "I was under the impression that I would be alone in my visit – my mistake. I noticed you were tracing the quote…" The statement was left hanging.

"I just wanted to leave something of Lily's…I don't want it anymore and she should have it." Severus pulled his wand once more and muttered under his breath as he charmed a small, not too deep hole right beside the head stone on Lily's side. He pulled the silver bracelet from his cloak pocket and dropped it into the small hole, then used his wand to cover it back up with the freshly dug dirt, making sure the land didn't look disturbed at all.

Albus looked slightly bemused, but he had a feeling he knew exactly which bracelet had been dropped into the earth beside Lily Potter's grave. "I think she would have liked that, Severus…"

"Nobody knows what she would have liked…She's gone now…Well, I must be going," Severus said, trying to make himself sound more care-free than he felt. His heart actually felt like it was made of lead, and it was keeping him from moving his feet. With a deep breath, he began to move away from the grave.

"Severus?"

Severus turned back towards the tall, elderly wizard who had taken him under his wing so many years ago and inclined his head in question.

"Do watch over him…Remember who he is, and who died for him. _Protect him_," Albus pleaded as he looked straight into the black, fathomless eyes that held so much emotion, yet hid it all too well.

Severus nodded curtly after a few seconds of shocked realization that Albus was pleading with him to protect Lily's – and James' – son. It was the least he could do, really, but he truly had no idea what he was getting himself into. "I…I will."

"Will you swear to it, Severus? Would you make the Unbreakable Vow, right here, in front of the Potters' graves?" Albus asked quietly as he fixed the black haired man with one of his piercing blue stares.

Severus cowed slightly under Albus' gaze. He didn't know the boy, and had not exactly been friendly with the boy's father, but Harry Potter's mother…Lily Evans Potter had been one of Severus' only friends during his turbulent Hogwarts years. Despite his feelings towards her kind back then, she had still befriended him and helped in more ways than he cared to recount. That's all the prompting he needed to make his decision. "Yes, I would make the Unbreakable Vow. I owe them so much for what I did, it's the very least I can do…"

Albus' expression turned much warmer as he stepped closer to Severus, his long, garish robes dragging across the brittle grass below his feet. "You need to stop blaming yourself, Severus. I'm not excusing your horrible lack of judgment, but the blood of Lily and James Potter is not on your hands. You had no way of knowing how your Lord would interpret the bit of trivial information you gave him. Were you wrong? Indeed, but you have paid for your mistakes in part, and this last piece is all I asked of you for full redemption in mine eyes. Shall I summon a person to Bond us?" Albus asked, his eye brows rising as his piercing gaze scorched through Severus once more.

Severus nodded slowly, taking a few steps closer to the Headmaster. "Yes, summon a Bonder," said Severus firmly. If helping protect this boy, Lily's son, would help Albus trust him more than he already did, then Severus was fully willing to do whatever it took.

Albus pulled his wand and gave it a long twirl, casting a large, silver Phoenix in the dark cemetery. "Go to Lupin. Tell him to come to James' and Lily's place of burial," Albus whispered to the shimmering Phoenix. The bird gave an elegant bow before gliding off through the darkness to do its master's bidding.

After ten minutes of silence, a faint popping noise was heard as a tall man in a patched up tweed suit Apparated a few feet from Albus and Severus.

"Albus, what is it? Is everything alright?" he asked in a worried, strained voice. Ten long, quiet years had passed without any sort of activity regarding Voldemort or Harry Potter, but on the eve of the boy's first day of school, Albus is summoning people to the Potter's grave? Something was amiss.

Albus smiled warmly at the werewolf and nodded. "Everything is fine, Remus. Not to worry, my boy. I would like to ask you a favour. Severus has agreed to take the Unbreakable Vow and we are in need of a Bonder. Can you assist, taking an Oath to speak of it to no one, never?" Albus questioned quickly.

Remus looked slightly bemused as he eyes shot towards Severus for a few seconds. He looked back to Albus and nodded slowly. "I solemnly swear to an Oath of Silence from hence forth regarding this Vow," Remus recited the traditional Oath words, holding his wand out, handle first.

Albus silently touched the tip of his wand to the handle of Remus', a faint glow emitting from the wood for only a few seconds before it was gone. "Good, very good. Now then, on your knees, Severus," Albus instructed as he slowly got down on his knees as well. Old age slightly hindered the excitement of kneeling to take the Vow, but only by a little. He held out his left hand and waited for Severus to copy.

Severus kneeled in front of Albus and took the elderly wizard's hand in his own. He inclined his head towards Remus to indicate that they were ready.

Remus moved forward and touched the tip of his wand to Albus' and Severus' linked hands, waiting for Albus to initiate the Vow.

"Will you, Severus, watch over the son of James and Lily Potter, Harry, as he attempts to fulfill the fated Prophecy?"

"I will," said Severus.

A bright flame issued from Remus' wand and wrapped around the linked hands of Albus and Severus, swirling and causing a red glow to light the cemetery around them.

"And will you do everything in your power to keep him alive?"

"I will."

A second lick of flame, brighter than the first and weaving like a braid with the swirling flame already in place around the two wizards' hands, slipped from the point of Remus' wand.

"And lastly, will you protect Harry with your life, no matter what the circumstances may come to be?" Dumbledore asked, his gaze very intense as he grasped Severus' hand firmly.

Severus hesitated for only a second, even less than that, before nodding curtly. "I will."

The third flame was the brightest yet, entwining with the braided flames, then soaking into the skin of Severus' and Dumbledore's hands.

Severus stood up, holding out a hand to help the Headmaster up off of the dry grass of the cemetery ground. "I would like to ask you a favour, however, Albus. Harry must never know of this Vow. I will protect the boy, yes, but I will not let him get attached to me or vice versa, is that understood?"

Dumbledore frowned as he wiped the dirt from his robes. He looked directly into Severus' black eyes and contemplated for a moment before nodding. "I will not tell Harry about this. However, I hope that the day will come when you can tell him about it yourself. Harry may still have his aunt, uncle, and cousin, but he needs someone there for him in the Wizarding world as well. It would benefit you both. Alas, I will respect your wishes and keep your act of kindness secret from the boy. Thank you, Severus," the old man said with a warm smile.

Severus didn't respond to that. The only thing he could do was reiterate what he had said before, but he knew Dumbledore would stay true to his word. He nodded his head to show he understood and walked a short distance before turning on the spot and Apparating back to his childhood home on Spinner's End.

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**A/N:** I hope you all didn't find this too horrible or boring. I promise it will start to get much more interesting in the next chapter. Please review and let me know if this story seems like crap, or if it's doing ok so far. Thanks!


	2. Saving The Savior

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any part of the HP series. If I did, Snape would have lived through the war!

**A/N:** Hey there everyone! Well I got some great positive feedback on the prologue for this story, which makes me extremely happy and feel better about it over all. I was afraid everyone would hate the very idea of it! I only have 4 chapters completed so far, so I must be slow with the updates until I get a safe number of chapters under my belt. I'd hate for my posting to catch up with my writing and make you guys what weeks and weeks for the next update because I'm still writing it! So, be patient my lovely readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter, where the actual story line begins to take shape and the plot starts to thicken.

**WARNING:** Character deaths that may make you feel guilty for being extremely pleased!

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**Ch 2.  
Saving The Savior**

_Five years later…_

Harry Potter woke abruptly in the middle of the night feeling as if a bucket of icy water had just been thrown on him. He squinted around the dark room for a few seconds before he remembered to put his glasses on. Even with the blurriness gone, he still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in his small bedroom, but that slight sense of foreboding that had fallen into the pit of his stomach when he awoke was still there. Harry carefully pulled his blankets away from himself as he withdrew a long, slender wand from beneath his pillow.

"_Lumos!_"

The wide beam of light bounced off the mirror on the door of the wardrobe in the corner, startling Harry for a moment. He took a deep breath and tried to settle his shaky nerves as he crept over to the window, pointing his wand towards the floor so no one would see the bright light. The long road lined with square houses looked as calm as ever at three o'clock in the morning, the streetlights shining dimly onto the black pavement beneath. Harry had just been about to turn towards his door when he saw – _something_.

The streetlight closest to Number Four flickered for a split second, but just long enough for Harry to see movement. What caused it to flicker, Harry wasn't sure, but he was positive that he had not imagined it. He squinted down into the street just beyond the lamp and felt the air rush from his lungs.

Two figures in black cloaks, the hoods pulled up over their heads, silver masks gleaming in the dim streetlight. They were staring straight up at Harry, who stood stock still as he began to feel a familiar feeling of panic rise in his chest. After a moment of complete horror, Harry gathered himself and moved quickly away from the window.

"_Nox!_" Harry hissed, the beam of light disappearing from the tip of his wand immediately. He wanted to check if the cloaked figures were still there, but was afraid of being noticed. Though they were looking up through his window, he was not altogether sure they had actually been able to see him.

"Shit, _shit!_ Just what the fuck am I supposed to do?" Harry whispered to himself as he paced carefully across his cramped bedroom.

Owling Dumbledore or some other Order member was clearly out of the question, seeing as the Death Eaters were camping right outside his window, not to mention Hedwig was off delivering a letter to Ron. He didn't think the Dursley's fireplace was connected to the Floo network still, so that was out as well.

_Think, Harry! There has to be some way…Fucking Dumbledore, he should have prepared me for this type of thing!_

Harry groaned in frustration as he racked his brain for an idea of just what in the _hell_ he was supposed to do. He went over a list of people in his head, people who could help – but, no! That wasn't the issue. _Contacting_ someone who could help was his dilemma. He couldn't send a message with his Stag _Patronus_. The Death Eaters would surely see it, and besides, he had no clue just how to go about doing that.

_Patronus_…

_That's it!_ Something snapped in Harry's mind as he remembered his last meeting with Remus Lupin, just after Sirius' funeral – or memorial service, rather. No body to bury, you see.

"_Take this, Harry. If ever you should need help and find yourself stuck, just snap it in the middle, sort of like a Muggle Glow stick. It will warm up and start to vibrate. I have a matching one, and will carry it with me at all times. As soon as you activate yours, mine will react and I'll know you need help. Emergencies only; these are rare bits of magic here…"_

Harry practically dove for his Hogwarts trunk, which was lying at the foot of his bed. He wrenched it open and began digging through the messy contents, looking for the small, velvet bag Remus' communication device had been in. _Aha!_ Harry pulled open the little pouch and dumped the small, silver stick into the palm of his hand. He noticed then that his hands were shaking something awful, but he pushed that away and focused on the little cylindrical stick. Harry grasped it firmly in his hands and bent it in the middle, immediately feeling it grow warm and slowly start to lightly vibrate.

Many things happened all at once. Later, Harry couldn't have been sure exactly what had happened first, or what exactly had happened in general. All he remembered was feeling the little stick vibrate before the world seem to tremble beneath his feet as a deafening bang shook the foundations of Number Four Privet Drive. After that, Harry saw nothing but black.

S~S~S~S

"What in Merlin's name?" said Severus as he sat up slowly in his bed. There was a faint buzzing noise coming from the general direction of his writing desk in the corner of his quarters at Hogwarts.

Though the school year was over and the summer holidays were in full swing, Severus was still at the castle finishing up end of the year business and planning his lessons for the coming year. It was soon to be his fifteenth year teaching at the appraised School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he wasn't any more excited about the special Anniversary than he would be for a normal year. Well, he wasn't excited at all, really.

With black slippers on his feet and a dressing gown thrown over his night clothes, Severus moved over to his desk and started to rummage around, the buzzing sounding much louder as he reached the oak desk. After pulling open all of the drawers and finding nothing, he opened the top cabinet, the buzzing becoming even louder, then. A small, black velvet pouch sat in the corner, moving idly as whatever was inside vibrated continually. Severus reached in and pulled the pouch out, pulling the strings open and pouring the small silver rod into the palm of his hand. He thought back to when he had acquired the little rod, his memory a bit vague on exactly what the rare magical little rod was for.

"_Harry has the other one. They're communication devices in case of any emergency Harry should find himself in. I told him I would have this half with me at all times, but I'm afraid that was a bit of a white lie. I'm terribly afraid that Harry may be in need of help and I won't be able to get to him because of my monthly affliction. I wouldn't have asked this if I didn't already know about the Vow, but will you take this half and keep it with you, just in case Harry should need any help?" Remus asked as he held out the small velvet bag to Severus, who was glaring daggers at the werewolf with his arms crossed over his chest._

"_Oh, that was a very nice way of ensuring that I had to agree to take this – _thing_, Lupin. You knew the Vow would kick in as soon as you asked and I'd have to agree to it or meet my untimely death. Very Slytherin indeed, I applaud you," Severus said in an icy voice as he scowled down at the velvet pouch, which he still hadn't taken from Remus._

_Remus sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly out of sheer exhaustion. "That is, in fact, not why I asked you to take this, Severus. You're one of the only Order members who has such ready access to help Harry, should he need it. If he is at school, you will be right here. If he is at the Dursley's during the summer holidays, you would be able to help the quickest, as you do not work during that time. I will admit the Vow did help sway my decision towards you, but it was not the sole reason. I am only trying to protect Harry, as you are. I fear he is in even greater danger than usual this summer after hearing the Prophecy. I couldn't bear it if I couldn't help Harry because it was the full moon. Please, Severus."_

_Severus let out a slow breath as he uncrossed his arms and took the pouch from Remus' outstretched hand. "Fine, I will take it. How does it work?"_

"_It will grow warm and vibrate when Harry activates his own. The rod will allow you to Apparate directly to wherever Harry is, wards be damned. These are very rare, the last pair Albus had, in fact. Carry it with you always," Remus said. He felt a bit weary leaving Harry's safety and well-being in the hands of Severus Snape, but was also confident that, whether Severus actually cared about Harry or not, he would help him in any way he could simply because of the Vow. It was the best course of action and Remus would not let his personal feelings about the man put Harry in danger._

_Severus inclined his head to show he understood and turned away from Remus, his cloak billowing out behind him dramatically as ever. _

It took Severus about five seconds to realize just what that little rod meant; Harry was in trouble and was asking for help. He quickly grabbed his wand from his bedside table and changed his clothes into his usual black robes and cloak with a twirl. Holding the little vibrating rod in his hand, he turned on the spot, hoping that Lupin had been right about being able to Apparate through wards with the little rod.

As he materialized again, the sight that met his eyes made him drop his usual expressionless mask.

Where Number Four Privet Drive used to be, there stood the smoldering wreckage of some sort of explosion, far beyond being recognizable as a house. Smoke was rising from many small fires littered in the debris, but all else was still. The neighboring houses had not been affected in the slightest bit, nor did their in habitants seem to be aware that Number Four had been blown to bits.

Severus pulled his wand slowly as he tried to recover from the shock. He became aware of his jaw hanging open and quickly shut it as he took a tentative step forward. He needed to find Harry, make sure he was ok, and get him out of there as soon as possible. Severus felt distinctly confused as he moved around what used to be the front door of the house. He had not been summoned to any meetings recently, and had heard no news of a planned attack on the Potter boy from the Dark Lord or any of his other minions. Being one of His closest inner-circle followers, it was strange that he had not been informed of this attack. Something boded ill about his being unawares, and he proceeded with great caution.

The stairs leading to the second floor were hanging lopsided and blown to pieces. The second floor had been completely obliterated and the first floor was buried under the rubble.

"_Lumos!_"

Severus held his wand aloft, lighting the area in front of him as he searched for any sign of Harry or his family. He stopped short when he caught sight of a pale hand sticking out from under and large piece of fallen dry wall. He moved quickly around the debris and knelt down, trying to lift the wall up. The hand was that of a woman's, and the wall was too heavy to lift using just his body strength. Severus clasped his fingers around her wrist, checking for a pulse. There wasn't one.

Severus stood up and raised his wand light high so that is cast over more of the wreckage. He was searching for a sign, something that pointed to Harry being there and being alive. A shock of black hair and a pair of broken glasses were lit up as Severus swept his wand in a wide streak. He immediately made his way over to Harry, who was unconscious but otherwise looked ok. Severus moved the black fringe out of Harry's eyes as he checked his pulse. His heart was beating, if only a little bit slowly.

"_Expecto Patronum!_ Go to Dumbledore, tell him Harry is alive and seems well, but his family is not. I'm taking him to my home in Bristol," Severus whispered to the silvery doe that stood before him. He flicked his wand and the doe galloped away gracefully.

For reasons unknown to him, he picked Harry up into his arms instead of simply levitating the boy, and began to walk away from the wreckage that used to be Number Four Privet Drive. One quick turn and Severus was Apparating himself and Harry to his summer cottage in Bristol.

S~S~S~S

Bright light. The last thing Harry could remember was an almighty boom followed by blackness, and now there was bright light. Everything was out of focus and blurry when he opened his eyes. From what he could see, he wasn't anywhere he recognized. A slight movement on his left startled him.

"Where am I?"

"You're safe, Mr. Potter," Severus answered as he pulled his wand slowly out of an inside pocket of his cloak.

Harry scrambled away from Snape as fast as he could, only then recognizing that he was laying in a bed, the light that had awoken him coming from a warm, blazing fire in the grate across the room. "Where's Remus? M-my stick thing, it was supposed to contact Remus," Harry said in a scratchy voice. He was eyeing Snape's black wand wearily as the man glared slightly at him. Why on earth had Snape come for him and not Remus?

"Settle yourself, you idiot child. I'm not going to harm you; I just need to perform a few spells to see if you're injured internally at all. Sit still a moment," said Severus as he waved his wand in a wide arch over Harry, murmuring in Latin under his breath.

Harry relaxed minutely as he settled himself against the pillows behind him. "You didn't answer me, Professor. Where's Remus? I was trying to contact _him_."

Severus frowned as the tip of his wand suddenly glowed bright red. "My spell has indicated that you might have some internal bleeding. I need to check for tenderness in your abdomen. Just relax, alright?"

Harry stiffened slightly. He had been feeling a sharp pain every time he took a breath, but he thought it was just from being thrown by the blast. He nodded slowly to show approval for whatever Snape had to do and tried to relax his tense muscles.

"Lie down," Severus directed, setting his wand aside as Harry lay down on his back. He lifted Harry's thin T-shirt up enough to expose his abdomen, and his frown deepened. There was already a large bruise forming on the left side of Harry's abdomen. The colour was a deep purple, evident of internal bleeding. Severus gently placed a hand over the bruise and applied very little pressure.

Harry sucked in a quick breath as a sharp stab of pain shot through him. "Ouch! Don't do that again!" he pleaded, his breathing becoming shallower as the pain receded very slowly. He distractedly felt bemused at the softness of Snape's hand on his stomach. For some reason, he was expecting rough, dry hands for someone like Snape.

Severus picked up his wand once more and ran it over the length of the bruise, muttering some sort of spell again. "I'm sure I can heal this myself, but you'll need some blood replenisher; you've lost quite a bit already. I'm surprised you weren't complaining of the pain, to be honest."

Harry frowned as he wondered the very same thing. He had just woken up, after all, but still, it looked painful enough to warrant at least some recognition of discomfort. "I could feel a sort of sharp pain every time I took a breath, but I didn't think it was anything serious. It honestly didn't really hurt that bad until you pushed on it. What, er…what's bleeding, exactly?" Harry asked, not quite familiar with the human anatomy and wondering what he could have injured.

"I'm not sure myself, actually. These spells only reveal so much, like the type of damage inflicted and amount of blood lost, but they do not locate where exactly the injury is. I'm no healer, but I've had some training in mediwizardry; standard things for becoming a Hogwarts teacher. You need a few potions before I can heal the wound itself. I don't believe I have everything you need here with me, but I can go back to Hogwarts and fetch the needed potions and be back in no time at all. Do you feel comfortable staying here for a few minutes by yourself?" Severus asked as he gently pull Harry's shirt back down and pocketed his wand.

Harry's eyebrow shot up as he looked up at Snape. "I'm not a child, I can handle being alone for a little while. Do whatever you need to do, but I'm not taking anything like Dreamless Sleep until you answer a few of my questions," Harry said firmly, feeling distinctly wrong footed by Snape's current behavior and attitude.

Severus sighed almost imperceptibly but nodded slowly. "Alright, I will be right back and I will answer your questions before I put you to sleep," he said before turning towards the fireplace to floo to his Potions lab at Hogwarts. He paused and turned back to look at Harry, who looked thoroughly confused. "You _are_ a child, by the way, no matter how grown up everybody else in the Wizarding world expects you to be." A few more short steps and he was flinging Floo powder into the fireplace, stepping into the bright green flames that shot up. "Potions lab, Hogwarts!"

Harry's jaw had actually dropped as he stared after the man masquerading as Snape. Oh yes, he had made up his mind that, whoever this person was, it could not possibly be his surely and snide Potions Professor. The man had been polite, kind, and even seemed a bit _concerned_. It was too distinctly _not_ Snape, and it made Harry feel a bit ill at ease. That last sentence alone was proof enough that, whoever this savior was, there was no way in Merlin's name it was Severus Snape.

What had happened, anyways? His memories were a bit foggy, but he remembered seeing the Death Eaters out his window, activating the little metal rod Remus had given him, and then the loud bang that threw his world into darkness. Now he was lying in a bed in a strange house that Snape had brought him to. How had Snape even known he was in trouble, and where was Remus? What was that loud bang, why were the Death Eaters there, and what of the Dursleys? All these questions threatened to overwhelm Harry just as Snape returned in the Floo, his arms full of multi-coloured flasks and vials.

Severus walked quickly over to Harry and sat down the many potions on the bedside table, arranging them in the order the boy would need to take them. He picked up the first, bright green one and used his wand to remove the wax seal and pop the cork.

"Blood Replenisher first, you're even more pale than before I left," he said as he handed the small vial to Harry.

Harry took the vial and hesitated only a moment before drinking it down in one gulp. It tasted and felt like acid, burning as it slid down his throat. He coughed and spluttered, trying to keep the potion down. "That's horrible," he complained as he pushed the vial back towards Snape.

Severus took the vial and opened the next in the short row on the table. "I didn't say it was going to be pleasant, did I?" Severus drawled as he held out the next vial. "Pain Relieving potion; no doubt the internal bleeding caused most of your discomfort, but you have been through quite an ordeal and will most likely start to ache soon."

Harry took the vial and drank it down as quickly as the first. He was glad to note that it tasted something like flat soda pop rather than something more vile. He pushed the vial back into Snape's hand once again, only making a slight face at the taste this time.

Severus' face remained his usual expressionless mask, but there was amusement sparkling in his black eyes at the face Harry made regarding the potion. The next potion, then. "Stomach Calming Draught. With so many different potions mingling in your system, you're bound to end up with an upset stomach. I prefer you not retch up everything I've given you."

Harry felt a bit bemused as to why Snape was naming each potion and explaining why Harry needed to take it. He had been expecting Snape to simply pour each potion down his throat quickly and none to gently, but his odd behavior was still evident as he passed the third potion to Harry. Stomach Calming Draught, it turns out, tasted like over-ripe pumpkin juice and was threatening to cause his stomach upset despite its purposes. He grimaced at the taste as he handed the vial back.

Severus pulled out his wand and moved it in a complicated arch, pointing it at Harry's abdomen. A soft blue light illuminated Harry's shirt before slowly fading away.

"The wound should be healed up, now. The last potion you need is Dreamless Sleep, but I do believe I agreed to answer your questions first, so," Severus pulled a straight backed chair beside the bed and sat down, crossing his legs rather stiffly as he gestured towards Harry, "Ask away."

Harry shifted so that he was sitting up more by himself rather than leaning heavily on the pillows behind him. Where to begin? Well, how about the beginning. "What were the Death Eaters doing there and why had nobody told me about any plan to get to me? Did the Order even know?"

Severus was a little surprised Harry had the sense to ask about the facts of the attack first. "It is not yet clear exactly what the Death Eaters intentions were, but we have pieced together what information we do have to guess about their orders. The Order was not aware of any planned attacks, as _I_ was not told, nor summoned to any meetings recently by the Dark Lord. Some speculation as to my spy disguise becoming evident to the Dark Lord has been brought up," Severus answered stiffly, dreading what he knew he'd have to tell Harry eventually, soon.

Harry processed all of that, coming to the conclusion that it made perfect sense. Things were still amiss, however. "Why didn't Remus come for me, or did he? Where is he?" Harry asked, frowning at the fact that maybe Remus had rescued him and delivered him to Snape for some reason.

Severus sighed and shook his head in exasperation. He had already formulated a slightly altered answer for this question when he was fetching the many potions. Why he was so concerned about the boy's feelings, however, was lost on him. "It is the full moon tonight, Potter. Or it was, since the sun is rising as we speak. On the night of every full moon, Lupin brings the device to me so that I may be able to help you if you activate it; a good thing, too, seeing as how it just happened to be the full moon when you needed help. Lupin will be informed shortly about the happenings. I alone came to your aide, and brought you here after informing the Order that you were alright, then had an emergency meeting with everyone while you were still unconscious."

Harry felt extremely stupid as he listened to Snape. Of course, Remus couldn't possibly be able to help him during the full moon. What had he expected? Well, he'd like to think that Remus would hand over Harry's safety to someone other than Snape, but he was not complaining since the man had saved his life. "So…What happened? The last thing I can remember is some sort of explosion is my guess. What's the Order's guess for why they attacked, and where are the Dursleys?"

Severus expression turned a little darker as he shifted slightly in his seat. He knew this was coming, but he was not looking forward to explaining it. "The wards protecting the Dursley's home were born of ancient blood-magic, as I believe has been explained to you?" He waited for Harry's nod of assent before continuing, "They are not to be confused with magical warding such as the _Fidelius_ charm. The Dark Lord has known where you reside all along, it was never a matter of finding you; it was a matter of _getting_ to you where you were. Over the last year or so, the Dark Lord has been doing extensive research about your mother's blood-sacrifice that has protected you since her death. I had been aware and informed the Order following shortly after your fourth year at Hogwarts. My guess was that he was searching for a way to get to you now that he had your own blood within his veins after his rebirth; Dumbledore agreed." Severus paused to let Harry absorb all that had been said so far, as the next part would be a little more confusing.

"This is where the speculation and guesswork comes in. The Dark Lord did not give me any details as to what his research had provided him, and the Order's own research brought up a frightening possibility; with your blood running in the Dark Lord's veins, your mother's blood-sacrifice may be null and void. As soon as we discovered this, we worked to ward your home with spells instead of just letting the ancient magic your mother had placed there protect you alone. Apparently our efforts were in vain, for the Dark Lord's followers were able to break through these to get to you. A sort of alarm notified the Order that the wards had been broken, however, and when the Death Eaters realized this, they fled without completing their mission. The force of their spells to break the wards was what caused the explosion to occur, and a massive one it was at that," Severus said the last part a little quietly as he remembered the state he had found the house in when he first Apparated to Harry.

Harry realized he was trembling as he took it all in. His mother's sacrifice was nothing now? There was no where safe for him, now. Though he hadn't got on with the Dursleys or been happy with his having to be there, he had always believe that he would be safe there with them, but that comfort was now gone. "What…what about the Dursleys?" Harry asked timidly, already fearing the answer as Snape's expression softened very slightly.

"When I Apparated to you, I located your aunt; she was already gone by the time I had gotten there. I wasted no more time in getting you to safety, so I did not check for your uncle or cousin, but Shacklebolt has informed me that, on their inspection of the wreckage, your uncle and cousin were both killed as well. I'm sorry, Harry." The boy's first name sounded foreign, almost wrong on his tongue, but now was not the time to be harsh. The boy truly had no family left in the world at all, much like himself.

Harry gulped and nodded, though not entirely sure why. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knee. He was completely, utterly alone. The last remnants of his family, the last people connected to his mother, were gone. He was in every sense an orphan now, and had absolutely no where to go. He had been very used to the fact that he was an orphan, but he had always had his aunt, uncle, and cousin as a pseudo-family, no matter how bad they were at it. But now – now there was no one, and it hit him hard just then. He had no desire to break down in front of Snape, but his emotions had different plans, apparently. He did not weep or sob, but simply let the moisture swimming in his eyes slid slowly down his cheeks, staring at the wall across from him. He took a few rattling breaths as he sat and cried for what felt like hours, but was probably only about ten minutes. In all that time, Snape had not left his side, nor had he said anything. This was not lost on Harry, but his sense of foreboding about the man's behavior still bugged him.

"Thank you…for saving me and – and fixing me up and all," Harry whispered as he dried his tears and looked over at the Potions Master, who had evidently been watching him closely.

Severus blinked and sat back in his seat, suddenly aware of himself leaning forward towards Harry. "It was no trouble. It is my job, after all, as an Order member and a staff member of Hogwarts to protect and keep you safe. No matter how much contempt I have shown before, I still must do my job."

That was the last straw for Harry. He had heard enough lies in his lifetime to know when one was being dangled in his face. He'd also been through enough hell to have sense not to trust anyone, especially the likes of Snape.

"Why are you being so nice? You're supposed to hate me, whether or not you're an Order member and Hogwarts Professor. Why the hell do you care about 'protecting and keeping me safe'? If it wasn't your _job_, you wouldn't give two shites about my well-being. So don't pretend like you have any compassion for me, Snape. I don't need your sodding pity," Harry snapped as his grief quickly turned into rage.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned his elbows atop his knees. He had been expecting some sort of similar break down, but it made him weary all the same.

"I am being nice because I have sense enough to know when not to add insult to injury. You've lost the little bit of family you had left, I was not about to be snide in the face of your grief. It _is_ my job to protect and keep you safe, and it has been my job for a long time now. I care because I made a promise not only to Albus Dumbledore, but to your mother's memory that I would not let any harm come to you – note that this was long before I had heard the Prophecy in whole and you became The Chosen One. Loathe I am to admit, the fate of the Wizarding world, and the rest of the world alike, lies in your hands. It is not easy for me to blindly place my faith in a sixteen year old boy who has had this destiny dumped on him from the age of one – scratch that, before you were even _born_. It is my faith in Dumbledore as well as the side of the Light that allows me to have trust in you, not to mention your frequent displays of idiot Gryffindor bravery which I have no doubt will carry you through this war and see to you having victory over Voldemort!"

He had clearly begun to lose his temper as his speech went on, and the last bit was clearly said out of exasperation and anger. It was the first time he had called the Dark Lord by his name in _years_.

Harry was slightly taken aback at not only Snape's use of Voldemort's name, but at what the man had just admitted. "A promise to my mother's memory…?" he asked tentatively as he uncurled his legs and scooted down a bit on the bed.

Severus felt his shoulders relax a little bit as he leaned back in his chair. He had not meant to let that slip to Harry – _ever_. He didn't have much choice but to explain his gaffe now. "I knew Lily in school. I met her the summer before we both got our Hogwarts letters, actually. I…used to live near Privet Drive when I was a child. I was, in fact, the one who told your mother that she was a witch. She had no idea, being Muggle born and not yet old enough to get her Hogwarts letter. We were good friends from then on. That is, until our fifth year. You saw the scene in which we parted ways, last year. After…after your parents' deaths, I promised Lily, in spirit of course, that I wouldn't let her son meet the same fate as her and James. I feel quite – ah, responsible for your parents' deaths, as the bearer of half the Prophecy to the Dark Lord."

Severus had never admitted that to anyone but Dumbledore, and had never planned on saying such to Harry, of all people. It was the truth, he did feel responsible in part for Lily's and James' deaths, and he would never be able to forgive himself for that. Though Dumbledore had 'redeemed' him and given him a second chance at life, he would never forget what he had done. Maybe that was something Harry needed to hear as well.

"Professor Dumbledore gave me a second chance after I realized what I had done and gone to him, but I have _never_ been able to forget it, nor will I ever. You may think I am heartless, and you may be right, but I am not without morals, I am not without shame. That is why I care, Harry."

Harry? Where did that come from? That was the second time in one night that he had used the boy's first name. Severus frowned at his apparent softness in the face of the situation. Damn that Dumbledore and his lessons in how to have a heart! He did not take it back, however. He had said what needed to be said, and Harry's reaction would be what it was, regardless if Severus called him by his given name or not. Maybe calling the boy by his first name would be more beneficial than not.

Harry was properly stunned by Snape's speech. It took a little while to register that his jaw was hanging slightly open before he snapped it closed audibly. So Snape and his mother had been close friends, eh? No wonder his father hated Snape's guts when they were at Hogwarts together. This was a whole new side of Snape that Harry had never seen before, having only been exposed to his snide and volatile side while in Potions class. This side of Snape, though – this side seemed to possess compassion, and even such things as regret and guilt. Dare he say even a little concern? It was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Harry almost chuckled at the irony of that thought as he pictured the mad scientist and the neatly dressed doctor in his mind's eye.

"I – er…Well, thank you, Professor," Harry stuttered, feeling a bit ashamed of his previous outburst at the man that had just saved his life.

Severus shook his head slowly as he picked up the last vial of potion and uncorked it with his wand. "There is no need to thank me. I am not the only one protecting you, and I am certainly not the one worthy of your thanks. I think it high time that you rest now," Severus said as he passed the vial to Harry.

Harry took the vial, but hesitated to drink it. "You saved my life, Professor. You're worthy of my thanks and gratitude." He swallowed down the bitter potion and handed the vial back to Snape before making himself comfortable on his pillows once more.

"Like I said," Severus stood up and moved the chair aside, "It was no trouble." He began to turn away but stopped as Harry spoke again.

"Where are my glasses and wand?"

Severus raised an eye brow at the sudden question, but didn't comment on the randomness. "Your glasses were damaged beyond repair in the blast. I will see to getting new ones for you after you have rested. Your wand is there on the table, unharmed. Sleep, Potter; stop fighting the potion. I would wish you pleasant dreams, but you won't be having any, pleasant or not."

Harry felt slightly bemused by that comment, but nodded amiably as he pulled the covers closer to him. He had not realized that he was fighting the potion until he allowed his eyes to slam shut. It took Harry a little while to realize that that last comment from Snape must have been the man's idea of humor. He let out a soft chuckle at the pathetic attempt just before his mind shut off completely and he was thrown into a deep, dreamless slumber.

S~S~S~S

Severus closed the door to his bedroom quietly behind him, using his wand to flick the lights on in the living room. He hadn't been here in some months and his Bristol cottage looked very unlived in. There was a thin layer of dust atop the coffee table and book shelves lining the walls, and little puffs of dust would rise from the carpet with each step. After living in his Hogwarts quarters nine months out of the year, Severus felt more at home there than in his cottage. If not for having to go to Harry, he'd still be at Hogwarts that very moment.

So Harry Potter was lying asleep in his bed, truly orphaned to every degree. The boy had been through so much hell in his life, it was a miracle he hadn't gone mad yet. Despite whatever Severus may have said to Harry during class, the boy was not unintelligent, and his Gryffindor bravery was something to rival. However, everyone had their breaking points, and it was a wonder Harry hadn't met his yet. This latest tragedy seemed to have taken less of a toll on him than Cedric Diggory's death and the death of Sirius Black. It went to show just how much Harry's remaining family meant to him.

It was already six o'clock in the morning, and Severus was tired. He figured with Harry dosed on Dreamless Sleep, he could rest for a few hours himself without worry. He pulled out his wand and transfigured the couch into a comfortable looking four-poster bed, then flicked the lights off. He slipped off his shoes and robes and crawled underneath the sheets, falling asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow.

It was only thirty minutes later that Severus woke to an ear-splitting scream coming from his bedroom. He shot out of bed as fast as he could, slipping on the wooden floors in his sock-clad feet.

"Harry?" he said as he entered the room, running directly to the bed.

Harry was curled up against the headboard, his knees curled up to his chest and his face buried in his arms. He was shaking horribly and a soft whimper could be heard between sharp breaths.

Severus sat down on the corner of the bed and leaned towards Harry, resting his hand gently on the boy's leg. "What's wrong, Harry? You had a high dose of Dreamless Sleep, you couldn't possibly have had a nightmare," Severus said quietly. He felt Harry tremble even more violently and started to rub the teen's leg in a comforting gesture.

Harry lifted his head very slowly, his expression distraught. "I don't think it was a nightmare, Professor…I was in His mind again…H-he just…." Harry's voice cracked as he tried to catch his breath.

Why did he care what had happened? He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but feel horrible about it.

"Voldemort's just killed Narcissa Malfoy."

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**A/N:** Sorry about the cliffie, but it must be done! If you've read my fic _Lying Low_, you may have noticed that this story's time line and content fit snuggly into the ending of that story. However, I do not necessarily consider this a sequel to _Lying Low_, as it focuses on Harry and Snape, and not Remus Lupin. The two stories are simply…symmetrical, if you will. Please leave lots of reviews for me to read at school tomorrow! I'll post another chapter as soon as I finish the current chapter I am working on. Thanks for reading!


	3. Cleared Vision

**DISCLAIMER: **They're not mine, sadly. If they were, Snape and Harry probably wouldn't have hated each other so damn much.

**A/N: ****THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED SINCE IT WAS FIRST POSTED**. I was getting a little tired of the same reviews for this chapter because of a mistake that I made, so I went in and fixed it. If you don't know what mistake I'm talking about, then good lol.

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**Ch 3.  
Cleared Vision**

Severus' hand paused on Harry's leg as he stared at the pale teen. "What? Are you absolutely certain this wasn't a dream, that it was really Narcissa?" he asked quickly, feeling his heart sink as he realized it couldn't possibly have been a dream because of the potion.

"I'm fairly certain, sir. I've only seen her once or twice, but I'm sure it was her. Mal – Draco looks just like her…" Harry said as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

It was the first time in a long while that Harry had been inside Voldemort's mind, and was the very first time he had witnessed the Dark Lord actually kill someone. Even Cedric Diggory had been killed by Wormtail and not Voldemort himself. He was still a bit shaken up about it, but was starting to feel himself calm down.

Severus scooted a bit closer to Harry and looked him straight in the eyes. "Harry, I need you to describe where this took place. Was there anyone else there, anyone at all?"

What he really needed to know was if Draco had been there, and where _there_ was. With Lucius in Azkaban and Narcissa apparently dead, his Godson was at the mercy of the Dark Lord and his followers.

Harry closed his eyes as he tried to remember all the details of what he saw, horrible as it may have been. There was a large, white room with bookshelves covering the walls. A huge fireplace with a roaring fire beside a tapestry that looked similar to the Black tapestry at Grimmauld Place, though it had a different coat of arms and had different names, most ending in the same last name; Malfoy.

"I think it was the Malfoy Manor, Professor. It was a big white room, with lots of books and a big fireplace. There was a green tapestry with lots of names on it that ended in Malfoy. There were only two other people besides Mrs. Malfoy and Voldemort. I think one was Rodolphus Lestrange and the other was most certainly Bellatrix Lestrange."

Severus stood up quickly and pulled his wand out. "That is indeed Malfoy Manor; the library, to be precise. I must go, Harry. From what you have told me, Draco Malfoy may be in great danger," Severus explained.

Harry was slightly bemused by that, but did nothing but nod his head slowly. He watched as Snape walked briskly across the room and left through the floo. Harry slid back down in the covers, but soon realized that the Dreamless Sleep had been interrupted and would no longer work. He had no desire to have nightmare after nightmare, so he got out of bed and decided to explore the small cottage. Everything was still blurry to him, since he still did not have his glasses back.

The living room wasn't that big, but it looked even smaller with a large four-poster bed in the middle of it. Harry realized that the bed he had been in before must have been Snape's own, and Snape had been attempting to sleep in the living room. He felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach that he soon recognized as gratitude for the Potions Master. Could his summer get any stranger?

Harry moved around the four-poster and saw a door leading to what he figured must be the kitchen. He discovered that the cottage must be scarcely lived in, for the kitchen held barely a dish in the cupboard, and no food save stale and molding bread in the cabinet. He didn't dare open the small ice box for fear of what he would find. He'd simply have to wait for Snape to come back for any food. Harry pulled his wand and gave it a complicated flick, making a steaming cup of tea appear on the kitchen counter. He was extremely glad he had taken the time to learn that particular spell, now.

Snape's bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen seemed to be the only rooms in the cottage, but with Wizards, especially secretive Slytherin Wizards, you never knew if there were hidden rooms or not. Harry dared not try to find any for fear of being flayed alive by Snape if he found out. Instead, he took his cup of tea and went back into Snape's bedroom where he sat down on the bed.

The room was dark and little bit drafty, but it was also strangely comfortable. The walls were lined with books and dusty tomes, and there was a small desk in the corner covered in parchment and ink wells. There was a large book on the bedside table entitled 'Beginners Guide to Occlumency'. Harry found it strange that Snape would have such a book, considering he was supposed to be a Master Occlumens and Legilimens. He had a niggling feeling that the book had something to do with him, which didn't bode well.

Harry had just raised his cup of tea to his lips when the flames roared in the fireplace and Snape stepped out, his cloak covered in soot. He looked distressed and just a tad bit more pale than usual, and that was saying something when it came to Snape's vampire-esque visage. Harry was afraid to say anything, so he stayed quiet and Snape began to pace. He didn't expect what came next; Snape was actually venting – to Harry.

"I can't believe the nerve of that wretched woman! Her own nephew, for Merlin's sake! I swear, if one hair on that boy's head is harmed, she will regret the day she was born! She leaves some ransom note like a common Muggle kidnapper and just leaves her sister's body lying on the floor like a slaughtered pig. It's appalling, _disgusting_!" Severus shouted as he paced in front of the fireplace. He hadn't really paid much heed to who he was talking to, he simply just started yelling.

Harry cautiously set his tea aside and stood up. "Professor? What's happened? Is Draco alright?" he asked, trying not to sound as if he really cared, though he had no idea why he did, really.

Severus looked over at Harry as if he had just realized the boy was there. He had forgotten about him being there in all the hustle of trying to find Draco. He stopped pacing as he shook his head slowly. "I could not find him, but Bellatrix left a lovely note beside Narcissa's body," he said as he passed the crumpled and slightly bloodstained paper to Harry, who took it cautiously and began to read it out loud.

"'To Whom It May Concern, the boy has been taken to his rightful Master, where he shall learn what being a pure-blood is really like. The scum who have raised him and filled his head with nonsense and lies about tradition and etiquette will no longer stand in his way. The blood of the innocent shall not be spilled, but his mother we could do without. Do not come looking for him, for you will not find him. From henceforth, Draco Malfoy is property of the Dark Lord. Love, Bella.' That's just sick. Isn't Bellatrix Narcissa**'**s sister? How could she say such things about her own blood? How could she take Draco to that monster?" Harry said as he handed the vile letter back to Snape.

It was point proof of how disgusting Voldemort and his Death Eaters really were that Bellatrix could contribute to the murder of her own sister and the kidnapping of her nephew, though it didn't really surprise Harry that much.

Severus shook his head and placed the note on the desk behind him. "You don't understand, Potter. When you join the Dark Lord, family becomes nothing. If He tells you to kill your whole family for whatever reason, you damn well better do it, and without complaint. But with Bellatrix…she's a twisted one, she is. Her mind is so poisoned by the Dark Lord's beliefs that she can do things like watch her sister be murdered and not be bothered at all. Her heart is black, and Draco is no exception to her coldness. He's not her nephew; in her eyes, he's just another young recruit for the Dark Lord."

Harry shuddered slightly at the very thought of Bellatrix Lestrange. 'Twisted' was an understatement, in his opinion. "Do you have any idea where they've taken him? What's…what's going to happen to him?" Harry asked, feeling extremely sorry for Malfoy, which was an odd feeling indeed.

Severus shook his head slowly as he stopped pacing and looked around at Harry. The boy seemed like he was actually concerned. Leave it up to Harry Potter to worry about even his rival's safety. "They've taken him to the Dark Lord, wherever he may currently be. He moves around a lot to avoid detection. He'll most likely be tortured for things his parents have done, then he will most definitely be Marked. I do not think he will be killed; he's too valuable as someone to convince other Slytherin's your age to join ranks. The only thing I can do now is hope the Dark Lord calls me to Him and leads me to Draco so that the Order can try to rescue him."

Harry nodded slowly, though he felt horrified by what he was just told. No one his age should have to go through that, though he himself had gone through quite a bit of hell at even younger ages. No matter how vile Malfoy had been to him in school, he didn't deserve this. "I'm sorry, Professor. I hope he'll be ok."

Severus just stared at Harry for a few seconds, amazed at the boy's ability to care so damn much. He was so like Lily, yet he looked so like James. It was a thoroughly irritating. "Thank you."

The fire in the grate flashed green suddenly, surprising both student and teacher. Remus Lupin spun into existence, stepping out of the fireplace and brushing ash from his robes as he looked over at Harry and smiled, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Harry, I'm so sorry I couldn't have been there last night…"

Severus rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why yes, Lupin, you can break into my home and completely ignore me to get to the boy, of course."

Harry stood up and walked over to the werewolf, giving him a tight hug. He and Remus had been through a lot together, what with both of them going through the pain of losing Sirius only a month ago. "It's ok, Remus. At least you arranged for somebody else to come for me when you couldn't. Snape saved my life."

Remus glanced quickly over at Snape, his eyes flashing with gratitude. "_Professor_ Snape, Harry. I'm very grateful that Severus was there to help you," he said as he hugged the teen back. "Are you alright, though?"

Harry pulled away from Remus and resumed his seat on the bed. He shrugged his shoulders as he averted his eyes to the fire flaring in the grate. "I'm fine. You know they never treated me right…I didn't really love them, nor did they me. I guess it's just the fact that I have no one now…" Harry trailed off as his voice started to break.

Remus walked over and sat beside Harry on the bed, putting an arm over his shoulders. The poor thing had been through so much in the last month. It was ridiculous that someone so young had to have all this pressure on them, and got nothing but heart ache in return. "Oh Harry, you know that's not true. You may not have any blood relatives, but you have me, you have your friends, and you have the Order to protect you. You are not alone, Harry, never alone…" Remus whispered as he turned Harry's face towards his and looked directly into the emerald green eyes that so matched those of his late mother.

Harry nodded as he curled close to Remus and buried his face into his shoulder, his frame shaking a little as he cried. He felt so drained all of the sudden, and if felt good to have someone there to comfort him. Snape had tried at least, but this was what Harry had really needed.

Remus looked over at Snape, who had been watching to whole scene from the other side of the room. He met the man's black eyes and read what the man could never admit; he cared about Harry, and he was worried. Remus took a deep breath before mouthing the words 'Thank you' at Snape, who nodded slowly, his expression no longer guarded.

It was twenty minutes later that Harry had finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep against Remus. Remus laid him gently down in the bed and covered him up before looking around the room and realizing Snape must have left at some point, because he was not there. Remus walked out into the living room and saw the Potions Master sitting on the couch, reading a Potions journal and drinking a cup of tea. Remus walked over and sat down beside Snape, sighing heavily.

"Thank you, Severus. Harry would most likely be dead if you hadn't gone to him."

Severus took a sip of his tea and closed his book before leaning back and looking over at Remus. "It's my job to protect him, Lupin. Not only am I under the Vow, you asked me to watch over him when you could not. Call me un-Slytherin, but I am loyal to the promises I make," he said as he studied the werewolf's worn and scarred face. The man was not aging gracefully, but Severus wasn't exactly beauty personified either. At least Remus had even had a life partner. Up until a month ago, that is.

Remus let out a soft laugh as he rubbed a hand over obviously tired eyes. He hadn't gotten very much sleep, and had come to Harry straight after being told what had happened by Dumbledore. "Call it what you will, Severus, but you saved Harry's life and I will be forever grateful. You would not have made the Vow in the first place if you did not care just a little bit about the boy's safety, correct? There's no need to put up your heartless front around me; I know better than that. Who do you think Lily confided in at school, eh? James? No, she came to me, as I went to her. I know somewhere deep inside there, you have a heart, and it's a good one."

Severus blinked a few times as he stared at Remus. No one had ever said anything like that to him save Dumbledore, but he knew the old man had a knack for lying to make people feel better. Remus, on the other hand, was a very honest man and would sooner tell you the harmful truth than a protective lie.

"I – thank you, Lupin. It was not so much care for Harry, but for Lily, that made me agree to make the Vow. I do not know what lies Lily implanted in your head, but she obviously made me out to be much more than I was, especially back then. We were all foolish teenagers, even Lily."

Remus shrugged and sighed at Snape's defiance to admit he cared. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Severus. Believe what you will, and I will believe what I will. Now, I'd like to discuss options for where Harry is to stay until Hogwarts starts up again. I would like to take him to live with me, if that would be alright."

Severus thought for a moment about that as he finished his cup of tea and conjured two fresh ones; one for him, and the other he handed to Remus.

"I would think that would be fine, as long as wherever you take him is safe and secure. This will all have to be passed by Dumbledore, of course. He makes the final decisions regarding Harry, as you know. For now, Harry should stay here where we know for a fact that he is safe."

Remus nodded in agreement as he sipped at the tea Severus had handed him. It was obviously a unique charm, for it had just the right amount of crème and sugar for Remus' tastes. "I'm supposed to meet with him again tonight. I'll ask him then. I must be on my way, however. Please tell Harry that I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye."

Severus nodded as he stood up and walked Remus into his room, where the werewolf held out his hand for the floor powder. Severus sprinkled some into his palm and nodded shortly at Remus before stepping back so he could travel through the floo. "Let me know what Dumbledore decides."

Remus nodded as he threw down the floo powder, the flames turning green. His destination remained silent as a _Fidelius_ charm kept the location private.

Severus turned to go back to the living room, but saw that the sound of the floo had awoken Harry. "Lupin just left. He said he's sorry he left without saying goodbye," Severus said, delivering the message as Remus had asked him to.

Harry rubbed at his eyes as he sat up, yawning widely. "How long was I asleep?" He didn't feel very rested, and his head was still aching from crying for nearly half an hour.

"Not very long, maybe an hour or so. Are you feeling ill? You look a bit pale," Severus said as he walked closer to the bed to get a better look at Harry. The boy looked peaky and exhausted, but Severus couldn't blame him.

Harry shrugged as he rubbed at his eyes some more. "My head hurts a bit, and I'm kind of hungry."

Severus sighed as he watched the teen curl up on the bed. He was so thin and small for his age. An anger deep in the pit of his stomach flared as satisfaction that the boy would never be mistreated by those muggles again reigned him in. He shook his head slightly, thoroughly confused as to why he even cared that much. "Of course you're hungry; you haven't eaten in a while, I presume."

Harry blushed as he looked away from the Potions Master and wrapped his arms around himself. It was true; it had been quite awhile since he'd eaten anything constituting a meal. He was so used to being hungry, though, that he hardly recognized the feeling as anything but normal now.

Severus sat down on the corner of the bed as he watched Harry closely. So he was right, the boy had probably not eaten for some days. He had to make sure that Harry could actually handle a meal before providing him with one, however. "When was the last time you ate a full meal, Harry?" he asked as gently as he could.

Harry squirmed uncomfortably as he avoided the man's gaze still. He hated to seem so weak, so desperate in front of Snape, but he was so hungry. He knew it was time to swallow his pride and allow someone to take care of him, even if it was someone who supposedly hated him. "Hogwarts End of Term feast, but I didn't eat very much. I wasn't hungry, not after what happened to – " Harry cut himself off before saying Sirius' name, the memory still very raw and painful.

Severus' eyebrows shot straight up as he looked at the boy. It was much worse than he had expected. "The End of Term feast? Harry, it's nearly the end of July. Term ended almost two months ago. How on earth have you managed to survive without food for so long?" he asked worriedly. That was much too long to go without food, that he was absolutely sure of.

"Ron and Hermione always send me food over the summer holidays; they know my aunt and uncle sometimes punish me by taking meals away. This summer was worse than usual. I think it's because of the warning that the Order gave my uncle at the train station…He was furious. I was locked in my room right away, and he didn't let me out to use to loo for three days. I wasn't stupid enough to ask for food; I knew I'd get a thrashing if I did. I sent Hedwig to Ron and Hermione and told them what had happened; they sent along as much food as they could. It was mostly sweets and pies from Ron, and health foods from Hermione, but it was food nonetheless."

Severus just stared at Harry for a few seconds, trying to digest the information Harry had just provided him. So it was a common occurrence for the Muggles to treat him like some abused rat instead of an innocent child? Good riddance they were dead, then! One thing didn't make sense, however. "Why on earth didn't you contact the Order straight away, Harry? You knew that if you were in trouble, we would come help you. That was why we had warned your uncle in the first place, you foolish boy!"

Harry cowered slightly and flinched as Snape raised his voice. He was shaking very slightly as he continued to avoid Snape's gaze. "I didn't want to be taken back to Grimmauld Place…I didn't want to be in the place that Sirius hated so much…"

"So you'd rather starve yourself nearly to death than live safely in Grimmauld Place, even if your precious godfather did hate the bloody place? How foolish, how ridiculously irresponsible!" Severus shouted as he stood up and glared at Harry, who was trembling violently now and hiding his face in his hands. Severus stood stock still as he heard what was unmistakably a sob. He moved forward and placed a hand on Harry's shaking shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I did not mean to shout at you, but you must understand that not informing the Order of your mistreatment was the most foolhardy thing you could have done. You would have been most likely placed with the Weasleys at the Burrow, not at Grimmauld Place," Severus explained. He felt bad for shouting at the boy, who seemed to crack so easily under pressure lately. It was as if this Harry was a completely separate person than the one Severus taught at Hogwarts. Where was his Gryffindor pride? His reckless behavior was still fully intact, though, apparently.

"I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking clearly. I just – I didn't want to think of Sirius at all. It's bad enough that I see him every night in my dreams, falling through the veil, helplessly. I miss him…" Harry croaked as he tried to hide his tears from the Potions Professor.

Severus sat down next to the trembling boy, his hand still on his shoulder. "I'm sure you do, Harry, but leaving yourself in that dangerous situation was not something Black would have wanted you to do. He would have wanted you to seek help, not allow yourself to be mistreated like that," Severus said softly, trying to comfort the boy, but not exactly sure he was succeeding.

"I know…I'm so stupid," Harry whispered as he finally looked up at Snape, his eyes bloodshot and still moist.

Severus felt that familiar squirm of pity in his stomach as he looked into the boy's bright green eyes. He realized something then; Harry was more like Lily than he had ever realized before, though he looked extremely like James. One more epiphany; Harry was still missing his glasses and was probably half blind.

"You're not stupid, Harry, you just make foolish mistakes, same as the next person. You are only human; you're allowed to make mistakes. Come now, Harry. Let me make you something to eat and see to replacing your glasses." Severus stood up, offering his hand to Harry to help him up.

Harry hesitated for only a second before taking Snape's hand and allowing him to help him up. "I can't see worth a damn, you know. You're going to have to help me."

Severus rolled his eyes as he placed a hand firmly on the boy's shoulder and helped direct him towards the door. "What do you think I'm doing, you idiot child? I'm not holding onto you for sympathy's sake."

Harry chuckled as he entered the small living room, Snape's hand still on his shoulder. "I hope whatever food you're making doesn't come from that kitchen. I snuck around a little earlier and looked around the cupboards. You don't usually live here, do you?"

Severus sighed. There was the Potter he had grown to know and hate at Hogwarts, shining through at last. He pushed his feelings aside, however. "No, I usually spend the majority of my holiday in my Hogwarts rooms and not this cottage. An advantage to being a Hogwarts Professor is the ability to call house elves, even while we're away from the school. Dobby!"

A loud crack graced the end of Snape's speech as Dobby the house elf appeared beside Harry.

"You called, sir – Harry Potter! It is wonderful to see you! How is Harry Potter?" the house elf asked excitedly as he moved forward to take Harry's hand in his own.

Harry smiled down at the slightly blurry elf and knelt down beside him. "I'm doing alright, Dobby. How are you doing at Hogwarts?"

Dobby beamed at being asked about his well being. He was always amazed by Harry's ability to care for house elves when nobody else ever did. "Dobby is doing just fine, Harry Potter! Dobby even got Winky to start eating recently, though she still drinks quite a lot," Dobby hung his head sadly as his ears drooped.

"Well that's good, Dobby. Maybe she'll get better as she starts to eat more," Harry said with an encouraging smile.

Severus watched the exchange with something akin to wonder before snapping back to reality. "Dobby, I would like you to make Harry and I a meal. Something simple, onion soup and some bread, perhaps. I'm afraid Mr. Potter's stomach cannot handle anything more than that."

Dobby nodded up at the Potions Master, his ears flapping excitedly at the thought of cooking for Harry Potter. "Of course, Professor Snape, sir. Shall I bring the materials here and make it, or have it made in Hogwarts' kitchens?" Dobby asked.

Severus thought for a moment. Harry would probably being stay here for a few more days at the least, which means they would need sustenance, and calling Dobby to help them every time they needed a meal prepared just wasn't very convenient. "Bring the materials here, and while you're at it, bring enough food for about two weeks. It would not be very convenient nor safe to keep calling you here."

Dobby nodded and stepped away from Harry, who had resumed his standing position. "Yes, sir. Dobby will be right back with all the needed things, sir."

"Thank you, Dobby."

The house elf nodded his understanding and snapped his fingers, a loud crack reverberating through the small cottage at his disappearance.

Severus turned back to Harry, who was watching him curiously. The boy was probably shocked by his manners with the elf, but that didn't bother Severus. There was much about himself that Harry did not know, and would probably learn if they had to spend very long together. As transparent as he made himself seem as a Hogwarts Professor, Severus Snape was a very complicated man.

"While we are waiting for your elf friend, why don't we get started on trying to make you see again? You wouldn't happen to know what your eye-glass prescription is, would you? That would be very helpful. When was your last exam, as well?" Severus asked as he sat down in an armchair, motioning for Harry to sit on the couch across from him.

Harry blushed slightly as he sat down, a headache forming from not eating and struggling to see. "I haven't had an eye exam since I was five years old, Professor. I haven't the slightest clue what my prescription was, but I know I could hardly see with my glasses before."

Severus shook his head as he studied the boy. What was he playing at, not telling anyone he had needed new glasses for many years? It was as if the boy was frightened to ask for help. "Harry, why did you never tell Madam Pomfrey that you needed a new prescription? She could have easily updated your glasses for you."

Harry looked up and stared straight into Snape's eyes, his own eyes looking haunted. "I don't ask for things I know I won't get, Professor."

Severus was slightly bemused by this comment. What did the boy mean? Pomfrey would have helped him out, no problem. Apparently Severus wasn't the only complicated man in the room. "Well lucky for you, I have mediwizardry in my background, as I've told you before. Don't ask me why they thought Hogwarts Professors needed to give eye exams, but that was part of the training." Severus pulled out his wand and transfigured a book into an eye exam chart, fixing it to the wall across from Harry.

"Stand, please. Cover your left eye and read the top line for me."

Harry stood up and covered his left eye, taking a step back as Snape motioned for him to stand a bit further away. He squinted his right eye, trying to focus on the extremely blurry shape. It wasn't too difficult to make out that it was an 'E', but it amazed him just how blurry that 'E' was. "It's an 'E'."

Severus nodded, timing just how long it took Harry to answer him. "The fourth line, then."

Harry squinted even more. Now this was a bit challenging. He could see that the line above it had at least a very blurry 'T', but he was having great difficulty figuring out the other two letters, let alone any of the letters on line four. He struggled to focus his eyes, squinting so much his eye was practically closed. He sighed heavily and dropped his hand from his left eye. "I can't read it at all, sir," Harry said, feeling slightly disappointed in himself. Though he had had to wear glasses for the majority of his life, he felt worse now for needing them, as if he was imperfect, and that was unacceptable. He shook his head, trying to clear his head of such mundane thoughts.

Severus nodded and motioned for Harry to sit back down. He had all the information he needed. "Twenty/five-hundred vision, Harry, is extremely bad vision. You've been walking around, playing Quidditch and competing in the Triwizard with the incorrect prescription for twenty/five-hundred vision? No wonder you always add the incorrect amounts of ingredients in potions; you can't see the bloody measuring cups!"

Harry glared slightly at the Potions Master. Way to add insult to injury, Snape. "I was fine. I wasn't walking into walls, was I?" Harry asked, a bit snappier than he had intended.

Severus rolled his eyes as he sat down in the arm chair and pulled an old coaster towards him. He pulled out his wand and transfigured the metal coaster into simple, yet fashionable eye-glass frames. They were a tad more square than Harry's last pair, and the metal was black instead of silver. "Will these do?" Severus asked as he held out the frames to Harry.

Harry took the frames and examined them. It was the first time he got to pick what he wanted his glasses to look like, so he figured he might as well do some playing before picking what he wanted. "Can you make them plastic and a bit wider?" Harry asked as he passed them back to the Potions Professor.

Severus glared and took the glasses back, tapping them with his wand and transfiguring them to Harry's instructions. "Better?"

Harry took the frames and tried them on, testing out how they felt. He looked over at Snape, who tried to hide his smirk behind his hand. "What? Do I look like Percy Weasley? I feel like I look like Percy Weasley."

Severus couldn't hold in the chuckle that escaped his lips as he looked at Harry. He indeed resembled the past prefect of the Weasley family. "Not your look, I think. Metal was better."

Harry handed the frames back to Snape with a chuckle of his own. He watched as Snape transfigured the frames back to wire, though they stayed more square than round. "I like them like that."

Severus nodded his head and handed the frames to Harry, standing up and disappearing through a door that Harry had not noticed before. A few seconds later, Severus walked out with two empty potions bottles and sat them down on the table. "I need to concentrate hard to make these come out correctly, so don't speak or move until I say so, alright?" He waited for Harry's nod before waving his wand at the two bottles, muttering under his breath a spell he had learned a long time ago.

"_Oculus Genero Infragilis Nullus Malum_." Severus took up the two lenses that now lay on the table and sat them on top of each other. He had just gotten an idea that would greatly help the boy in the future. "_Congruo ut Oculus._" The lenses bent slightly and shimmered blue for a second before going back to normal. He placed the lenses in the frames and waved his wand one last time. "_Suggero Propius_. There you are. These are special lenses, Harry. I only just got the idea now, but I think this is better than giving you a single prescription. These lenses are unbreakable, impenetrable to any sort of curse and will change to be whatever prescription your eyes grow to need. They're also permanently attached to these frames, so I hope you like them."

Harry took the glasses that were being handed to him with wide eyes. He'd never owned anything so…_magical _before. Well, that was a bit over an overstatement; his cloak and the map certainly counted as very magical, not to mention his wand. It was just a wonder to be handed something so amazing and to be told it was yours. Especially if this item was handed to you by a man who had seemingly hated you since the first moment he had met you. "Thank you, Professor," Harry said as he slid the glasses onto his nose and looked around. It was amazing, how much detail and how far he could see with these new glasses. He hadn't seen this clear since he had been handed his first pair of glasses at the age of five.

Severus couldn't help but let a little smile sit on his lips as he watched Harry look around, amazed at all he could see. "No problem, Harry, no problem at all."

Dobby Apparated at that moment, laden down with pots and pans and packages of many types of foods. Harry jumped up at once and took Dobby into the small kitchen, smiling widely as he enjoyed his new ability of sight.

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**A/N: **Thanks so much for reading! I know this chapter was a bit boring, but the next one will be much more interesting, and the one after _that_ will be even better! So, please stick with me and be patient! The good stuff will come! Please, please, pleaseeeeee review and let me know if the story is progressing ok. Ciao!


	4. Summer with Severus

**A/N: **Hello to my lovely readers! I've been getting some very positive feedback on this story, which makes me super happy and want to write even more! The plot starts to get thicker and more interesting in this chapter, and it just takes off from there! I hope you enjoy it and leave me lots of lovely reviews!

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**Ch 4.  
Summer with Severus**

After fighting with Snape for fifteen about who was sleeping where, Harry finally convinced Snape to sleep in his own bed and transfigure the couch for him. After another ten minutes of fighting with Snape about taking a Dreamless Sleep potion, Harry took the potion and fell asleep almost immediately.

Severus, on the other hand, found it a bit harder to get to sleep. He was exhausted, but there was so much swimming around in his mind that he had a hard time putting his thoughts to rest long enough to fall asleep.

All the things he had learned about Harry that day swam at the forefront of his mind. The person he had thought he had known for five years was indeed a complete stranger to him. The arrogant, above the rules teenager that Harry seemed to be at Hogwarts was swept away completely by the abused, unloved orphan who now slept in Severus' living room. It was very disconcerting thinking that even Severus himself would have given Harry a better home than those Muggles had; Severus would have at least taken care of him, if not loved him.

Eventually, Severus' thoughts slid away and blackness took over as he fell into a much needed slumber. He had barely slept at all in the last few days and, with a teenager on his hands for whoever knew how long, he certainly needed his rest.

What woke Severus up was someone coming in through his floo. Since only certain Order members, himself, and Dumbledore were the only ones keyed into his wards, he had slim pickings to guess who it was. As he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he saw the kindly old Headmaster of Hogwarts smiling at him from across the room.

"I see you've decided to sleep in this morning, Severus. I'm sorry to have to interrupt your peaceful dosing. I have only a few precious moments before I must head off to Edinburgh to talk to an associate."

Severus glared slightly at the old man before getting out of bed and pulling his dressing gown on over his night clothes. His swept a hand through his long hair before wordlessly leaving the bedroom and indicating for Dumbledore to follow him.

Upon entering the living room, Severus saw that Harry was already up and munching on a piece of toast while reading one of the many potions journals lining the walls.

"Good morning, Harry! Did you sleep well, my boy?" Dumbledore asked as he smiled over at Harry.

Harry looked up from his book and swallowed his mouth full of toast before smiling at the elderly wizard. "Good morning, sir. I slept well, thank you. I think Professor Snape slept better than both of us," Harry said with a smirk as he noticed Snape still in his pajamas.

Severus scowled at the teen as he entered the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. It was only nine o'clock in the morning, and though he usually woke up much earlier, it was still too early to deal with that infernal old man and the chipper teen.

"Ah, here he is. I was just speaking to Harry about Remus' preference to take on the boy for the rest of the summer."

Severus sat down across from Dumbledore on the re-transfigured couch and sat the tray of tea down on the coffee table. "So, did you decide whether or not Lupin will be taking Harry?" Severus asked as he sipped slowly at his tea.

Dumbledore nodded as he took up a cup of tea and added a few sugar cubes. "I have decided, Severus. Remus plays a very important role in the Order. Because of his affliction, he is able to more readily communicate with the Dark creatures rallying around Voldemort. He is often away on missions for days and sometimes weeks at a time. For this reason, I think the best place for Harry to spend the rest of the summer is here in Bristol with you."

Severus stopped midway to taking a sip of tea and stared at Dumbledore. He had expected to have to deal with having Harry for a few days, and was even prepared for a week or two, but the rest of the summer? "What about the Weasleys? Molly and Arthur immediately volunteered to take him when they heard what had happened. Surely they haven't changed their minds?"

"Of course they haven't. It is by my own volition that I believe Harry must stay here. The Burrow is not under a _Fidelius_ charm, and it is indeed on the map and well known as the Weasley residence. If Voldemort plans to go after Harry again, I believe the first place he would look is the Burrow. Grimmauld Place is not ideal because there would be no one there to help make sure Harry is safe. Though you are sometimes summoned to Voldemort, you are usually home during the summer. This cottage is unplottable, unknown to anyone expect three other Order members, myself, and now Harry, and is under many wards and the _Fidelius_ charm. I don't think I could imagine a safer place for Harry," Dumbledore said, watching Severus' expression closely. The man looked slightly horrified currently, but he was confident that would change.

Harry was looking between Dumbledore and Snape, waiting for the Potions Master to blow up and start yelling. The explosion never happened, however. "So…I'd have to stay here all summer? I can't go to the Burrow to see Ron and Hermione at all?" Harry asked, feeling disappointed that he wouldn't get to see his friends at all before school started up again.

"I think that would be for the best, Harry. I know you would like to see your friends at some point, but it's just not a smart choice with you in so much danger currently. In fact, I must ask that you not tell Ron, Hermione, or anyone else where you are or who you're with. You may inform them that you're safe and protected, but you mustn't let anyone know you are here in Bristol with Professor Snape," said Dumbledore. He really did hate to separate Harry from his friends, but there was just too much at risk to allow him to go to them or vice versa.

Harry sighed heavily but nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. I won't tell anyone. I think Hedwig is still at the Burrow. Do you think you can tell Ron to send her back so I can write to them at least?"

Dumbledore smiled as he stood up and clapped Harry gently on the shoulder. "Of course, Harry, my boy. I will see to that as soon as possible. Ah, one more thing; almost all of your belongings were destroyed in the blast. I believe Professor Snape has been making his clothes smaller for you to wear?"

Harry blushed slightly and frowned as he thought about his invisibility cloak, the Marauder's map, and his Firebolt. He was lucky he had his wand still. "Yes, sir. I don't suppose anything was salvageable?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischievously as he twirled his wand. A package roughly the size of a sweater appeared on the coffee table. "A few things were saved because they were in your Hogwarts trunk, though not everything was saved." Dumbledore indicated for Harry to open the package.

Harry tore away the brown paper and beamed as the silvery material of his cloak and the worn parchment of the map appeared in front of his eyes. He let the cloak slide through his fingers, feeling the familiar liquid-like material and feeling much more at home. "Thank you…" Harry whispered as he pulled the cloak close to him and caressed the brittle parchment of the map.

Dumbledore nodded as he watched Harry affectionately cling to the few possessions he still owned. "I'm afraid your broom was not repairable, though I did try."

Harry shrugged as he looked over at the Headmaster, setting his cloak back on the coffee table. "I'm not so sure I'll be needing a broom anymore; I don't see myself playing Quidditch this year, Professor."

Dumbledore frowned as he studied Harry closely. The boy's spirit had definitely been dimmed a bit by this most recent tragedy, and it saddened Dumbledore greatly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Harry, but that is a decision that is all up to you. I feel safe saying this to you now, but I had planned to approve Professor McGonagall's recommendation for you being Quidditch captain this year."

Harry felt his stomach plummet at those words, but he still didn't feel like Quidditch was something he would want to pursue anymore. He wasn't sure exactly what had made him come to this conclusion, but who knew it's what he wanted. "I'm flattered, sir, really, but I'm going to have to decline the position."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly as he clasped his hands together. "Very well, Harry. We will have to pick a new captain after try-outs, considering there are the positions of Seeker, and two Chasers now to fill for the Gryffindor team. Well, I must be getting on my way now, boys. I will send along your message to Ron, as well as some gold from your vault so that you may begin to buy some new belongings, such as clothes. I'm sure Severus wouldn't mind showing you how to Owl order," Dumbledore said as he nodded towards Snape.

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just nodded curtly, avoiding making eye contact with either Harry or Dumbledore. "Good day, Professor."

S~S~S~S

"No, you must ask for self sizing clothing because you cannot try them on. It's the best bet; you'll know for a fact that they'll fit, even if they are two Galleons more a pair."

Severus and Harry were sitting at the coffee table nibbling on small sandwiches and looking through some of Severus' Owl order catalogues, trying to find some clothes for Harry to buy.

"But I don't really wear that style. They're too…Nerdy."

Severus glared at the teen as he snatched the magazine away. "Those are the pants I wear, thank you very much. They are not nerdy, they're practical."

Harry tried to hide his laughter as he picked up a different catalogue. "You wear pants under all those robes and cloaks?" Harry asked with a snicker.

"Of course I do, you depraved boy! I don't walk around in my underwear – Well…not anymore, at least. Your father saw to that. I made damn sure I wore pants from that day forth."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense as Harry tried to distract himself with a catalogue dedicated to socks. He lost interest quickly.

"I am sorry for sneaking and seeing that memory, Professor. If I could take it back and un-see it, I would."

Severus sighed as he laid the catalogue back on the coffee table and leaned back slightly on the couch. "I'm sure you would, Harry. That was definitely not the most charming moment of your father's life. It was also not the only moment of your father's life, and you'd do well to remember that."

Harry gaped at the Potions Master as the magazine slipped out of his slack grip. "Am I imagining things, or did you just defend my father's memory?" Harry asked, feeling distinctly wrong footed.

Severus rubbed a hand over his eyes before fixing his gaze on a shocked Harry. "As much as James and I despised each other in school, I am not above admitting that a lot of what your father and Black did to me during our Hogwarts yeas was definitely provoked by me. Later on, after Graduation, James turned into a different person; a responsible man, extremely passionate about fighting for what he believed in. Loathe I am to admit it, Harry, you're father was a good person."

Harry felt extremely emotional all of a sudden and had to blink back to moisture in his eyes. He never thought he'd live to hear Snape praise his father, of all people. It was definitely a culture shock, to say the least. "Thank you, Professor, for saying that. I still know hardly anything about him – my mum, too."

Severus nodded slowly as he finished his cup of tea. "Well, I don't know much about who your father was when he was younger, but your mother, on the other hand, I know plenty about. Lily was my best friend growing up," Severus admitted, a small reminiscent smile on his face.

Harry felt himself smiling at the thought of his mother as a teenager at Hogwarts. He'd heard stories about his father from Sirius and Remus, but he knew very little about his mother. "What was she like?"

Severus felt slightly wary of describing Lily to her son. He was afraid to let his own feelings for her show too much in front of Harry.

"Well…I'm sure you've heard that she was brilliant. She had a quirky sense of humor that most people just couldn't understand. Though a lot of people thought she was a stickler for the rules, Lily was actually really quite laid back. She only ever enforced the rules like a Nazi when it was James or Sirius breaking them. She wasn't the gossiping type, but Merlin forbid her and Lupin start talking about one thing or another; they'd gab for hours. She was seriously afraid of bugs, and absolutely loved the smell of brand new parchment. She preferred Muggle pens and pencils to quills, and had a hobby of drawing when she was bored, though she was no Picasso. She was a natural at Potions and Charms, but she hated Transfiguration, though she wasn't bad at anything she did. She got the most O.W.L.S. in our year, one more than I did. By then, she had stopped speaking to me. I'll never regret anything more than losing her as a friend. Lily was a beautiful person, Harry, inside and out. You're more like her than I think I could ever tell you, though you look exactly like James."

Harry didn't know when he had began to cry, and he didn't notice the tears rolling down his cheeks, but he could feel himself smiling. He had always imagined his mother with Ginny's looks and Hermione's mind, but he learned that Lily was definitely her own person. His chest ached as he longed to know her himself instead of having to live through someone else's memories. "She sounds perfect…" Harry whispered as he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them.

Severus felt his stomach do a flop as he watched Harry cry. He had the strangest urge to reach out and hug the boy, though that was completely ridiculous. Severus Snape didn't hug anyone, especially not Harry Potter. "She was, Harry…She was."

Though it seemed like it had been hours, twenty minutes passed in silence as Severus and Harry both became lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Severus broke the silence as he turned to Harry.

"I don't believe I ever apologized for cutting off your Occlumency lessons. It was very foolish of me and…and it could have meant Black's life if I had taught you correctly in the first place."

Harry wiped at his mostly dry cheeks and sniffled a little. "It wasn't all your fault, Professor. I shouldn't have snuck into your memory, and I hadn't practiced like you told me to. I think we were both too caught up in ourselves to be able to work together."

Severus quirked an eyebrow and shook his head slowly. "You're very wise for a sixteen-year-old; it's disconcerting."

Harry chuckled, slightly amazed that Snape would actually call him wise. "I'm not sixteen yet, sir. My birthday is next Friday, actually."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm afraid a large party is out of the question due to the possibility of uninvited guests, but I might be able to convince Professor Dumbledore to allow you to speak to your friends through the floo network for a few minutes that day," Severus said, feeling completely out of his element. He had no idea where these fatherly urges were coming from, but they were extremely strange to him.

Harry looked about as surprised as Severus felt with an offer like that. "You'd do that for me? Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet; I make no promises, I only said that I will ask him if it would be alright. I do, however, want to start teaching you Occlumency again; correctly this time. I certainly took the wrong approach last time, and with you in even greater danger than before, it's even more important now for you to learn how to block your mind. Will you agree to practice correctly as I instruct you to, if I agree to be a more patient, informant teacher?"

They didn't really have much else to do for the rest of the summer, and Snape was certainly right about it being even more important now to know how to protect his thoughts and memories from Voldemort. Feeling much more confident this time, Harry nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll agree."

The corners of Severus' mouth twitched up as his black eyes glistened. "Good, very good."

S~S~S~S

After a mostly enjoyable lunch, Severus decided that it was time to start Harry on the right track for proper Occlumency instruction. The way he had attempted to teach the boy before was not only incorrect, but ultimately unfair.

"Along with our practical lessons, I would like you to read this Guide to help you better understand the finer technique of Occlumency. With a combination of practical and literal lessons, you should be able to comprehend the subject fully," Severus said as he handed The Beginner's Guide to Occlumency to Harry.

Ah, so there was the book. He knew from the moment he saw it that, at some point, he would be reading it. No matter, it would be better for everyone if Harry learned to close his mind, and that was exactly what he was going to do. "Yes, sir."

"Now, instead of throwing you into the middle of the theory of Occlumency and watching you squirm, I will begin with showing you how Occlumency looks and feels like. It's not something easily described, so the best way is to show you. Now these types of things will require a little bit of physical contact. Is that alright with you?" Severus asked as he moved around the couch, his wand twirling between his long fingers. He tried to discern Harry's answer from his expression, but the boy's face was blank as ever.

The idea of 'getting physical' with Snape was definitely not ok with Harry, but he was mature enough to know that the physical aspects would mostly likely be a hand on the temple, or a touch on the wrist; nothing more demanding than that. "Yeah, I suppose that's alright."

Severus nodded and motioned for Harry to follow him into his bedroom, where the fireplace was roaring warmly in the grate. Severus then sat down on the rug in front of the fire and looked up at Harry. "Sit facing away from me," he instructed the boy.

Harry's eyebrow shot up, but he did as the Professor told him, sitting awkwardly with his back to Snape and fearing what would happen next. No one could blame him for being paranoid with an ex-Death Eater who had a vendetta against him sitting behind him doing Merlin knew what.

Severus could tell that the boy was nervous and tense, but he hoped his misgivings would melt away after a little while. It took extreme concentrations to learn Occlumency. "Relax and try to clear your mind. Leave all thought behind you."

Harry glared at the wall across from him before closing his eyes. If he had any idea how to clear his mind like Snape was asking him, he wouldn't have had such a hard time with the lessons last year! Stupid man, obviously he didn't learn from his mistakes. How on earth was he supposed to just stop thinking? It was an instinctive, natural part of the human mind and not something one just knows how to stop – Obviously, Harry was failing miserably at leaving thought behind. He let out a frustrated sigh as his eyes snapped back open. "I don't know how to do that, sir. I don't even know where to begin trying to stop thought completely," Harry said as he turned slightly to look at Snape.

Severus' had had his eyes closed and was currently trying to clear his own mind when Harry's frustrated voice cracked his concentration. He decided losing his temper now would only result in frustrating the boy more, so he would be calm in the face of his annoyance. "You misunderstand me, Harry. I do not necessarily want you to 'stop thought completely'; I want you to abandon your thoughts. No one can stop thinking, but they can occupy their minds with things _other_ than thought," Severus tried to explain. This was going to be much more difficult than he'd hoped.

Well, that did make more sense than completely halting thought altogether, but it didn't change the fact that Harry still had no idea how to go about doing that."I'm not sure I understand, sir. What am I suppose to occupy my mind with if not thought?" Harry asked. He really did want to learn Occlumency, but Snape was going to have to learn how to be a better instructor if they were to get anything done within the century.

Ok, so this method was going to fail as well, Severus realized. On to plan B, then. He uncrossed his legs and stretched them out on either side of Harry, allowing for more room in front of him. "Lean back and rest on my chest. Relax, for Merlin's sake. I'm not going to hurt you, you idiot child."

This was getting even stranger than Harry had anticipated. He had never desired to be so close to Snape and would surely never want to be again. He was also getting annoyed with the way the Potions Master kept calling him 'child'. He was far from a child. Harry leaned back until he felt himself resting against Snape's slowly rising and falling chest. He felt his stomach squirm, but he tried to relax himself as much as possible by trying to forget who he was leaning on.

"What's your favourite season?" Severus asked the boy suddenly.

Harry's confused expression came back as he felt the vibrations of Snape's voice through his back. "Um…Fall, I guess," Harry answered. Fall was his favourite season because that's when he was allowed to go back to Hogwarts and escape his family, though now things would be awfully different this year.

"Can you imagine a simple scene of Fall wildlife? Perhaps a forest clearing, with many coloured leaves falling to the ground from surrounding trees. A light wind picks up the dead leaves and they swirl around, high into the air, before falling back and lying still among the dry grass. The sky is hazy and dull, but the sunlight can still be seen shining half-heartedly through the shedding tree canopy above you…" Severus said as he tried to lay out a scene for Harry to imagine. Different people required different things to occupy their minds. He needed liquid, flowing silver to occupy his; perhaps Harry needed something elemental too. He'd try both roads and see which worked best.

Harry tried to stop thinking of anything but that forest clearing. He added in some low flying sparrows and a soft level of birdsong into the scene that Snape had woven for him. He imagined himself wandering around the clearing, the wind blowing in his hair and the dry leaves tickling his arms as they floated on by. It was a pleasant temperature and a wonderful thought to get lost in. He hadn't even realized that Snape had placed a hand on each of his temples and was now seeing the same scene that Harry currently was.

"Very good, Harry…This is exactly what I was trying to get you to do. Whenever you need to clear your mind and Occlude, this is the type of thing you need to imagine. You still have your thoughts and memories, but they are hidden behind this scene that is currently occupying your mind. As long as the important things are not on the forefront of your mind, they're unreachable. This is the key to Occlumency and you cannot move on without it. There is more to it however, so let the scene fade and come back into your consciousness…"

Harry heard all of this as if Snape was speaking from his subconscious and not outside of his head. It was a strange feeling to have somebody besides himself speaking in his mind. He slowly let the forest clearing scene fade away as he opened his eyes. He was back in Snape's bedroom, leaning against his chest and sitting on the hearth in front of the roaring fire.

Severus removed his hands from Harry's temples and pushed the boy gently off his chest. "Turn to face me now," he waited for Harry to turn towards him. He could tell the boy was much more relaxed now, which would be very helpful for the next part.

"Now that you know how to clear your mind, the next step is learning how to Occlude while still being able to function normally. It would not be pertinent for you to zone out every time you need to clear your mind. The key is to know how to focus on the tasks at hand, yet still be able to hide your other thoughts." Severus flicked his wand and summoned a fifty piece puzzle from one of the book shelves. He opened the box and dumped the pieces out in front of Harry, setting the box aside.

"I want you to imagine that scene again, but this time, I want you to concentrate on putting this puzzle together at the same time. Start thinking of the scene first, then try to start on the puzzle. You may find it difficult to not think of anything but the puzzle at first, but it takes practice. Go ahead and give it a try," Severus said as he scooted back a bit to give Harry room to work on the simple puzzle.

Harry sighed as he looked down at the picture on the front of the box to see what the puzzle was supposed to look like. It was a never ending field of yellow daises in tall grass on a sunny day. Harry suddenly had a different idea of how to clear his mind. He closed his eyes and imagined he was in that same field of daisies on the front of the puzzle box. The wind was blowing the yellow sea back on forth as Harry walked through the tall grass, letting it slide through his fingers as he started to run. Then he imagined himself sitting in a small clearing in the field with the puzzle pieces and puzzle box sitting next to him. Very slowly, he opened his eyes, trying to imagine he was still in the field with the puzzle. He began reaching for pieces and connecting a few he saw that matched up.

Severus watched Harry carefully to see if he was actually Occluding, or just attempting. After ten minutes with his eyes closed, the boy opened his eyes and began placing the puzzle pieces together. His slow movement and carefully measured blinks made it immediately apparent to Severus that he was indeed Occluding while putting the puzzle together. The boy was a natural when he received proper teaching. Not until Harry had completed the puzzle did Severus move or speak.

"Very impressive…You were Occluding the whole time?" Severus asked as he began to break apart the puzzle and put it back in the box.

Harry shook his head firmly as Snape's voice rattled his thoughts of being in the field. The scene began to dissolve and he instead was looking at Snape, sitting beside a warm fire in a dark bedroom. "I was still Occluding just then, actually. I did it differently this time, though. Instead of imagining the Fall forest clearing, I imagined myself in that field of daises on the puzzle. I think that if I can somehow adapt my surroundings into a scene that I can lose myself in, I'll still be able to function as long as I imagine myself doing whatever I'm doing in those surroundings. All I thought of was the puzzle," Harry said quickly, feeling an adrenaline rush at finally being able to successfully do Occlumency.

"Well, that's a unique way of doing it, but you may not always be so lucky as to have a ready scene to imagine. I think that if you cannot form your surroundings into a scene like you just did, using the Fall forest clearing would be your best option, since you seem to be able to do that just fine. Just imagine yourself doing whatever it is you need to do in the forest clearing instead. There are many ways of occupying your mind. Using scenes like that is just one of them. A more complicated and challenging way of doing it is to imagine elemental things like fire, water, perhaps a gas, or swirling sand dunes. Some Occlumens find it easier to use elemental thoughts because it is something that does not require too much detail and therefore leaves room for concentration on more important things. I personally imagine a sort of rolling liquid steel, much like what memories look like while in a pensieve. It takes practice to find your niche, but I have confidence in you. Explore a few options and see what works best for you."

Severus stood up from the hearth and held a hand out to help Harry up. "I think that is enough for now. You can practice a bit on your own and read a few chapters before we begin blocking against mental penetration from an outside source. You're doing very well already."

Harry smiled at the Potions Master, feeling quite proud of himself for achieving such a big goal so soon into the lessons. It helped that Snape was actually a very good teacher when he applied himself and didn't lose his temper. If only he taught his Potions class like that at Hogwarts; many more students would enjoy the subject and pass, most likely. "Thank you, sir. I think I can really get a hang of Occlumency now that I understand it more. You're a good teacher."

Severus sighed as he led the way out of the bedroom, through the living room and into the kitchen. "I'm not a good teacher, Harry, I'm only a sufficient instructor when I choose to be," Severus said as he started to pull out a few ingredients to make dinner.

Harry sat down at the small kitchen table as he watched Snape pull out pots and pans and set them on the stove. One good thing about living with a Potions Master was that the food always had precisely the right amount of spices and ingredients. "Maybe you should choose to be a 'sufficient instructor' more often. Maybe I would start to understand Potions as well," Harry said with a cheeky grin.

Severus turned and glared at Harry as he tapped the stove with his wand to fire it up. "Don't push it, Potter."

Harry just laughed and stood up to help the Professor prepare dinner. They weren't exactly best friends, but they also weren't at each other's throats. Maybe spending a summer with Severus wouldn't be so horrible after all.

S~S~S~S

Harry woke up with a start as a bright light poked at his closed eye lids. He blinked and looked around the living room which was currently acting as a pseudo-bedroom for him. Snape was standing beside a window, its curtains thrown wide and the bright morning sun shining through.

"Morning, Harry. I daresay you'll be glad to hear that there are two heads in the floo waiting to speak with you," Severus said, trying to hide his amusement. The boy looked thoroughly confused and highly comical with bed head and displaced pajamas.

Harry tried to wrack his brain for details of why there would be heads in the floo waiting to speak with him when it finally hit him; today was his birthday! He quickly jumped out of bed, slipped his slippers on, and threw a dressing gown over his night clothes before beaming at the Professor and running into the bedroom towards the floo. His smile became even wider as he saw Ron and Hermione looking around the room whispering to each other.

"Are you lot always this nosey, or do you carefully inspect everyone's floo you speak through?" Harry asked as he kneeled on the hearth in front of the fire.

Hermione beamed as she spotted Harry, blushing slightly at his words, though it was lost in the green flames. "Harry! Oh, we've missed you so much! Happy birthday! We tried to send you our gifts last night, but they came back this morning. Everything is alright where you are, right?"

Ron rolled his eyes and glanced at Hermione before smiling at Harry. "Happy birthday, mate. Any idea when you can come to the Burrow? Hermione is driving everyone spare with worry."

Harry frowned as he shook his head. "Well, everything is just fine here, Hermione, but I'm afraid I won't be able to visit the Burrow at all this summer. Dumbledore told me that it's just too dangerous for me to go anywhere, or for you to come here," Harry added, already sure of what his friends' suggestions would be.

Hermione frowned, her bushy curls crackling with the flames. "I'm guessing you can't tell us exactly where you are, either? We don't even know who answered the floo, as they fled the room before we could see."

Harry quirked an eyebrow at that, but he knew it was important that absolutely no one knew where he was or who he was with, including Ron and Hermione. "No, I can't tell you anything, really. I'm only allowed to tell you I'm safe and well protected where I'm at, and that I'm not alone."

Hermione worried her lip with her teeth for a second, thinking of how to phrase what she wanted to ask. "How are you, Harry? I mean…emotionally?" she asked tentatively, hoping not to set off Harry's classically short temper.

Harry smiled appreciatively at his two friends' concerned looks. He really did miss having his friends to vent to when he needed it most. "I'm alright, thanks. I mean, I was never that close with the Dursleys because of the way they treated me and thought of magic. I guess it's a bit disconcerting to know I have absolutely no family left in the world whatsoever, but I'll be alright. I miss you guys, and Ginny and everyone. Can you tell them all I said hello and I'm sorry for not being able to make it for a visit?"

Ron nodded fervently as Hermione wiped at her teary eyes. "Of course, mate. Sorry that you have to spend your birthday alone – or, er, with whoever it is you're staying with. We'll eat some cake for you!"

"Ronald! You have no subtlety, I swear," Hermione snapped as she glared at Ron through the flames. She turned back to Harry, her face transforming back into a pleasant smile. "Have a happy birthday, Harry. We'll save your gifts for whenever we get to see you, alright? Be safe!"

Harry smiled and waved, wishing he could be there at the Burrow instead of crouching on Snape's bedroom floor. "Thanks, guys. See you soon, hopefully!"

Ron and Hermione both waved for a few seconds, then they were both gone, the green flames turning back into normal red ones.

Harry stood up from the rug and brushed the soot from his pajama bottoms, feeling a bit depressed despite it being his birthday. He turned to go find some breakfast and nearly ran into Snape, who was holding out a small package.

"Molly absolutely refused to let me leave the Order meeting last night without promising to give this to you. She also sent along a cake," Severus said as she handed the small box to Harry, feeling uncomfortable and bit awkward. He didn't know what he was supposed to do on the boy's birthday; he didn't even celebrate his _own_ birthday.

Harry took the box, smiling as warmth spread through him at the thought of Molly threatening Snape with a wand unless he agreed to deliver the gift. He tore off the paper and opened the little black box, his eyes going wide as he saw the gift inside. It was a shiny silver watch that thrummed with magic, but instead of minute and hour hands, there were different words around the large face of the watch; bed, bathe, homework, leisure, Quidditch, family, friends, alone, celebration, eat, and hot cocoa were just a few of the words.

"This is bloody brilliant…" he whispered as he clasped the watch onto his wrist and smiled as the words whirled around until four words came to the forefront of the face and glimmered a soft green. "Family, friends, celebration, eat. Smart little watch, you are."

Severus quirked an eyebrow as he reentered the room and heard Harry speaking to his jewelry. "Were you just conversing with your watch, Harry?" he asked, a scalding cup of tea balanced in his hand.

Harry laughed and nodded, still smiling down at the watch. "It's a…er – 'Time for Intelligence watch'. It's supposed to tell you what you need most. Fred and George Weasley invented them for their joke shop, Molly says. Brilliant bit a magic," Harry explained as the watch whirled around again and displayed two words now; bathe and alone. "Well I would hope so," Harry chuckled as he took the watch off so he could take a shower. He smiled at Snape, who looked bored and indifferent all at the same time. "Save some cake for me, eh?"

Severus rolled his eyes as he sipped at his tea and left the bedroom so Harry could shower and dress before breakfast. "Teenagers…" he muttered as he walked away. He paused and turned back around just as Harry was about to close the bedroom door for some privacy. "Happy birthday, Harry."

Harry beamed and nodded at the Potions Master, feeling much better now than after his conversation with Ron and Hermione. "Thanks, Professor."

Even though Harry couldn't be with his friends on his birthday, it was still turning out to be one of his best ones yet.

* * *

**A/N:** Well there you are! There was a bit more plot in this chapter, so the story line is becoming more pronounced. Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!


	5. Uninvited

**A/N:** Hey all! Well this is a fairly important chapter, though it is a bit shorter. I have much of this story planned out, so I hope you all continue to enjoy it. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! I hope to receive more and more from you lovely readers! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 5.  
Uninvited**

A whole week passed in which Harry and Severus continued with Occlumency lessons and living peacefully together. A fight or five occurred over trivial things, but they were getting along alright for the most part.

Harry was starting to get cabin fever, though. Even at the Dursleys he was sometimes allowed to go outside to escape it all, but there was no chance of him wandering outdoors when his life was in an even higher state of danger. To keep himself from going mad locked in the small cottage, Harry tried to focus all of his time and pent up energy on practicing Occlumency so that he'd have it mastered by the time Hogwarts term started.

Severus, on the other hand, was finding out exactly why he had never had children before. It wasn't so much that it was Harry Potter living with him, it was the fact that a _teenager_ was living with him. Though he was not as old as say – Dumbledore, Severus was not the youngest person and had been through quite a bit since his own teenage years. From what he could remember, being a teenager had changed drastically from the seventies to the nineties. Granted, Harry did not have the best life nor had he experienced a proper up-bringing, but the boy was still brimming with angst and awkwardness.

However, Severus also noticed how very determined Harry had become to master Occlumency. The boy was almost passionate about it, and was much easier to teach when he was so ready to learn. If Harry was this receptive in Potions class, the boy might actually be able to make a Calming Draught without melting cauldrons and desks. That particular class was indeed a train wreck.

A week's worth of Occlumency lessons and studying later, Harry was mastering being able to cook, carry on a conversation, and Occlude all at the same time. He lost concentration a few times and stopped Occluding for a couple of minutes at first, but eventually he was able to successfully cook a meal and finish his conversation with Severus all the while blocking his mind from Severus' outside penetration.

"I've never seen anyone master Occlumency so quickly and so proficiently. You will surely make an excellent Occlumens after a bit more studying. You would probably be a natural at Legilimency as well, should you attempt it," Severus said before taking a bite of the chicken alfredo Harry had prepared during his lesson.

Harry sprinkled a little bit of parmesan cheese over his alfredo before taking a large bite. It was fairly decent cooking, if he did say so himself. "I don't know if I would ever want to learn Legilimency, though. I think thoughts should remain private; I'd hate to break into somebody else's thoughts and memories. It's such a serious breach of privacy, and I don't want to put somebody through that," Harry said as he carefully spread some butter across a warm roll.

"When you become a bit older, you will start to see the advantages of being a Legilimens. Sometimes it is not only comforting, but essential to know when somebody is lying to you or with-holding certain information. For somebody like myself, it is a matter of life and death to be a proper Occlumens and Legilimens. If you're still harboring interest in becoming an Auror, I will inform you now that basic Occlumency and Legilimency skills are required to go through training."

Harry frowned as he thought on that for a little while. _Did_ he still want to be an Auror? At this point, he was basically an unofficial Auror with the biggest and most difficult task to complete; kill off Voldemort. Would his passion for hunting out Dark Wizards fade after he succeeded in getting rid of Voldemort, or would it become his new hobby? He wasn't sure of any of the answers, but he knew he had to find out soon. Harry was pulled out of his reverie as Snape laid an official looking envelope with the Hogwarts crest on the table between them.

"This came this morning for you. I believe they're your O.W.L. results," Severus said as he slid the envelope across to Harry. He almost chuckled at the expression that graced the boy's face.

Harry gulped and pushed his plate away, his appetite immediately gone. So, these were the scores that would decide his fate to become an Auror for him. What if he failed everything? What if he got so close, but still managed to not meet the requirements? His stomach squirmed as he lifted the envelope and slit it open carefully with his butter knife. He pulled out the folded parchment and took a deep breath before reading over the scores.

'Transfiguration- Exceeds Expectations  
Herbology- Acceptable  
Divination- Poor  
Care of Magical Creatures- Exceeds Expectations  
Potions- Exceeds Expectations  
Defense Against The Dark Arts- Outstanding  
History of Magic- Dreadful  
Charms- Exceeds Expectations'

Harry let out the breath he had not been aware of holding as a smile spread across his face, he had done much better than he had expected, but only one grade stopped him from moving on to the Auror required courses; Potions.

"Six O.W.L.s…Not too bad, though I can't move on to Auror required courses now," Harry said as he refolded the parchment and slipped it back into its envelope.

Severus raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his tea. "Oh and why not? With six O.W.L.s, you should surely qualify."

Harry frowned and blushed slightly as he moved his noodles around his plate disinterestedly. "I only got an Exceeds Expectations in Potions."

Severus leaned back in his seat and fixed Harry with a pointed gaze. Dumbledore had come to him near the end of the semester to ask him about lowering his expectations for his N.E.W.T.s course, and he had considered it for a little while, but hadn't really made up his mind. If he did lower the minimum grade requirement, Harry would still be able to take all the Auror required courses. The fact that Severus was actually considering changing course material for Harry Potter made his very skin crawl, but his mind seemed to have made itself up.

"Well, it just so happens that Professor Dumbledore made me lower my requirement scores for my N.E.W.T.s Potions class because so many students got less than an O on their O.W.L.s that I would have a class consisting of exactly four sixth years. Apparently that is unacceptable, so I had to lower my score requirements in order to obtain a larger class. So, you're in luck, Potter. Welcome to sixth year N.E.W.T. level Potions."

Harry just stared for a few seconds, his fork held limp in his hand. "So…so I can still take all the classes I need to get accepted to the Auror Training Academy?" Harry asked, amazed at the very idea. Did Snape lower his requirement scores for Dumbledore, or for him, Harry? Either one seemed ludicrous to Harry, but he had heard it straight from the horse's mouth.

Severus finished his plate of food and took the dish over to the sink, draining his tea cup as well. "Well, it does seem like it since you told me the only course you were lacking in was Potions. Make no mistake, however; though I had to lower my score requirement that does not mean that I have lowered my expectations for my N.E.W.T. students. I will not accept shoddy work or poor results. You will definitely find this class challenging, so I suggest some tutoring with Granger, perhaps. I would actually highly suggest Draco Malfoy instead because he achieves much higher scores, but…I'm afraid he won't be returning to school this year," Severus said, his voice growing a bit quieter near the end. He was so very worried about his godson, but he didn't want to show it in front of Harry. He was supposed to be strong in the face of danger, not a worried wreck.

Harry pushed the rest of his food away as he turned in his seat to look at Snape, who was facing the sink still and had his back to Harry. His head was hung slightly and his arms were stretched out on either side of him, resting on the counter in front of him. The man looked worn out and it made Harry's gut squirm with what he supposed was pity. "Still no news on where he is, then?" Harry asked of Malfoy, though from what Snape had just said he thought he already knew the answer.

Severus turned around slowly and shook his head, looking straight into Harry's vividly green eyes. "No," Severus said, moving away from the sink and clearing Harry's dishes for him. "No news on Draco as of yet. Come, I want you to read a book I have on Legilimency. I know you said you don't like the idea of it, but I still would like you to consider it, especially if you're sticking with your ambitions to become an Auror."

Harry sighed but stood up and followed Snape into the living room. After being handed a large black tome and practically forced to sit down, Harry cracked open the book and started to read. Legilimency was interesting, but it seemed even more complicated than Occlumency. The theory alone made Harry's head spin, and he had to stop reading before his headache became worse. He rubbed at his temples, squeezing his eyes shut to ward off the migraine that was coming. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he opened his eyes and saw a potion vile being held out to him by Snape.

"That book gives me a headache, too," Severus said with a shrug as Harry gave him a quizzical look. He felt his spirits lift a little when he heard Harry's chuckle as he took the potion and downed it.

"Thanks. Legilimency looks a lot harder than Occlumency. I don't really understand some parts of it, though," Harry said as he flipped through a few pages in the Legilimency book.

Severus sat down on the couch beside Harry and looked over his shoulder at the book. He was a bit too tired to try to explain Legilimency at the moment, but he did want to try and see if Harry could pull off Legilimency without having lessons. Sometimes it came naturally to talented Wizards; they simply just needed to attempt it.

"I think we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I would like you to try something. Sometimes Legilimency is an innate ability that some Wizards possess. Most don't realize it until they actually try it. I don't believe you've ever tried, correct?"

Harry was slightly shocked by that information. He never knew it could be an inborn power. How he wished he could have had Occlumency and Legilimency as in-built powers. "No, but how can I try if I don't even understand the mechanics of it?" Harry asked as he sat the Legilimency book aside and turned more towards Snape.

Severus scooted to the edge of the couch and pulled out his wand. Maybe he would have to do some explaining after all. "Well, Legilimency is related to Occlumency, obviously, but the mechanics are much different. Occlumency occurs through wandless, nonverbal magic. Legilimency, on the other hand, is wanded magic and verbal, until you Master it, which takes many long years. The powers you use to invoke the two abilities are much different. Being a fairly talented Wizard yourself, you might find that Legilimency is much easier to learn, as it's almost like learning any other spell. The difference is the amount of concentration, really. The first, most basic rule of Legilimency: eye contact is essential. You must be able to see directly into the subject's eyes in order for the spell to work. Do you understand so far?"

Harry nodded his understanding. Snape's explanation made much more sense than that huge book that made his head hurt. "I think I get it. I know the spell, and I know there has to be eye contact, but what exactly is my goal? As you've told me before, I can't just simply 'read' a mind; the mind is a very complex, many layered thing," Harry said as he remembered his very first Occlumency lesson with Snape the year before.

Severus was surprised that Harry had remembered those details of his rampage. "Great Scot, he does listen! Yes, Harry, the mind is very complex and many layered, but it becomes simple if you know how to unravel it and maneuver through the many layers. Your goal, as you put it, is not always going to be the same; it depends on what you are looking for. For instance, if you want to know if someone is lying, it is a much different process than trying to see a specific memory. Memory recognition is more complex than detecting a falsehood in someone's emotions."

"You have to detect emotions to tell if someone is lying?" Harry asked, slightly confused by that. He thought the only thing you needed to do was try to bring forward the true memory to put the lie to shame.

Severus nodded as he looked into Harry's eyes. He was reading the boy as they sat their, seeing his thoughts and feeling his emotions. He was very confused, apparently. "You once told Dumbledore that you could feel the Dark Lord's emotions. How do you think that is?"

Harry shrugged, becoming even more confused. "I have no idea. Dumbledore never really explained it to me either, but what does that have to do with Legilimency?" he asked the Potions Master.

Curse that old man for never explaining things to the boy for fear of taking away his innocence. Harry's innocence was long gone, as far as Severus was concerned. "The way the Dark Lord sees into your mind, and the way you see into his, is a kind of reverse Legilimency. I cannot explain the connection really, as I don't completely understand it myself, but I do know that it is a complex form of Legilimency. That's why you can sometimes feel his emotions, usually before a 'vision', correct?"

Harry thought about it for a few seconds, but Snape was actually right. He usually did feel a strong emotion from Voldemort soon before getting a flash of what he was seeing. "Yes, actually. So…to see if someone is lying, you have to detect whether or not they're nervous or scared or something?" Harry asked, still not quite understanding what emotions depicted lying.

"This is where it gets a bit more complicated. The mind does not have simple emotions like happy, sad, angry, scared, or nervous. There are sub-emotions that give away certain details, such as lying. It is not only in the mind, either. Lying is a psychological phenomenon that sets off warning bells throughout the body; sweaty palms, abnormal blinking, creased eyebrows, watering eyes, stuttering, breathlessness, twitching, fidgeting, hesitation – these are all tell-tale signs that someone is lying. It is a combination of both feeling the minds' emotions and being able to read a person's body language from the outside. You were very right; Legilimency is a lot more complicated than Occlumency. I want you to try something, however. I want to see if you can tell whether or not I am lying by Legilimizing me and reading my body language."

Harry frowned, feeling even more confused now then when he was reading the sodding book. It wouldn't hurt to try, he supposed. "Alright, so what do I do? Just say the spell, try to detect your emotions somehow and try to read your body language?" Harry asked as he awkwardly pulled his wand and scooted back so that he was sitting face to face with Snape.

Severus raised an eyebrow at the boy before giving a curt nod. "Precisely. This is what you're going to determine is a lie or not. Ready?" Severus waited for Harry to nod before continuing. "I'm wearing blue underpants."

Harry snickered and tried to hide his amusement behind his hand. Did the man have nothing better to lie about?

"I'm starting with something simple so that you may have the slightest chance of detecting if it's a lie or not. Be mature, would you. Now concentrate, look into my eyes, perform the spell, and play the rest by ear," Severus said as he prepared himself for a mental penetration.

Harry nodded, pushing away his amusement as he sat up straight. He gathered his thoughts, looked straight into Snape's black – dark blue – eyes. That was a strange discovery…Back to Legilimency, then. He lifted his wand and gave it a flick. "_Legilimens!_"

A light began to flicker behind Snape's eyes, quick flashes of images. Harry felt a tug of amusement that was not his own, a sense of determination that didn't belong to him. He was careful not to break eye contact, but used peripheral vision to try to study Snape's expression and body language. A twitch, there – on the corner of his mouth, a crease between the brows, squinting of the eyes. A faint feeling of…_something_…What was that? It was strange, almost like being pleased and afraid all at once. Then it hit him; it was dishonesty. Snape was lying. But if he was lying, what colour were his underpants? Harry was curious, for reasons he did not care to really think about. He began to focus now on the little flickers of light, the quick flashing images. He willed them to slow down long enough for him to be able to see what they were, and to his great astonishment, they did. The first thing he saw was a black quill, then next was a black book of some sort, and after that he saw black curtains hanging in a grimy window. He finally realized what he was seeing most often; the colour black. Snape's underpants were black.

Harry blinked and looked away from Snape, almost feeling like his gaze was a rubber-band being pulled away from something. He blinked a few times before grinning as he looked up at Snape. "You're lying. Your underpants are black."

Severus' eyebrows shot up as he blinked a few times. So the boy had actually been able to detect his lie _and_ find out the truth. With no training whatsoever, that could only mean one thing; Harry was a natural Legilimens. "That's correct…Very impressive, Harry. I think you might posses innate Legilimency abilities," Severus said, still slightly amazed by the broadness of Harry's magical powers. What else could this talented teen do that no one knew about?

Harry beamed as he celebrated on the inside. One less thing to learn for Auror training! "Bloody brilliant," was Harry's response to that discovery.

S~S~S~S

It was late the next afternoon, just before dinner time. Harry was lying on his stomach on the floor, reading the final chapter in The Beginner's Guide to Occlumency, while Severus was putting together lesson plans for the upcoming term.

Harry closed the back cover of the book with a snap, sitting up on his heels as he stretched his arms high above him. "Finished it, finally. I think I get the part about unconscious blocking now. Before, I was immersing myself in the imagined scene so much that I truly believed I was there. Now I think I get what you were saying before about letting it occupy my mind, but not take it over," Harry said as he stood up and walked over to Snape, holding out the book to him.

Severus took the book and sat it down on the coffee table beside his workbooks and Potions journals. He took off the reading glasses that he had begrudgingly had to wear because his _Oculus_ charm had worn off and Madam Pomfrey was not readily available to update it. He had sworn Harry to secrecy, of course. "Would you like to test that now?" Severus asked as he scooted over and made room for Harry on the couch beside him.

Harry sat down beside the Potions Master and nodded. "Yeah, just to see if I can actually do it right. I need to know so I can practice more on it if I can't do it."

Severus nodded his head in agreement and pulled out his wand. "It is essential that you learn to function normally while still being able to block your mind because of the special circumstances in which the Dark Lord can see your thoughts. There is no warning, and it would be best to Occlude constantly instead of when you think there might be danger around. Ready?" Severus waited for Harry's nod before meeting the boy's eyes and flicking his wand. "_Legilimens!_"

It was only a few seconds before Severus realized that something was very wrong. Harry clutched his head in agony as he let out an anguished moan, dragging his gaze away from Severus and breaking the spell before Severus could do it himself. Harry's eyes were squeezed shut and he was now clutching his forehead as though his head had split in two.

"He saw you! He saw you in my mind! I was trying to Occlude differently, to pull up the block again and He broke in. He said He could sense your magical signature. He saw you, Professor!" Harry groaned as he started to shake and feel ill.

Severus was momentarily stunned before he was pulled back to the present, a leaden sensation in the pit of his stomach threatening to make him sick up. The Dark Lord knew he was with Harry, could possibly know everything that had happened that summer. One thing became infinitely clear to Severus right away; his spy disguise was blown.

"Did He speak to you, Harry? What did he say? Talk to me, Harry!"

"Give me a bloody second, will you?! I've just had Voldemort poking around in my head; it's not a good feeling!" Harry shouted as his head pounded harder and harder.

Severus snarled as he stood up abruptly from the couch, knocking the coffee table over and sending parchment and books flying. "Trust me, I know the feeling, Potter! What the bloody hell did He tell you?"

Harry was alarmed by Snape's behavior and was actually cowering slightly on the couch. Snape had been strangely, but pleasantly kind the whole time Harry had been there. He hadn't seen Snape in such a rage since he had snuck into the pensieve and seen his worst memory. "He said He's been looking for me, and that I was a good hider, but not anymore. He could sense your magical signature, and He said He knew much more than we suspect…Whatever you do, don't go if He calls! He'll kill you straight away, I just know it," Harry said, willing the pounding in his head to subside long enough to see straight.

Severus began to pace amongst the fallen parchment and Potions journals, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Harry had been doing so well with blocking his mind, but the second the boy let his guard down, the Dark Lord was there to wreck it all. Severus was an essential part of the Order, being the main informant of when, where, and how the Death Eaters were going to try and spring on Harry again and wreck havoc on the rest of the world. With his cover blown, they were all in grave danger. He needed to get to Dumbledore, and fast.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Severus conjured his silvery doe _Patronus_, watching it paw the ground and throw its head back elegantly. "Go to Dumbledore, tell him the Dark Lord knows I have Harry and may know more than we think He does. My cover has been blow and I need someone here to – " Severus paused, his left arm burning as his Mark flared angrily. His eyes snapped up and locked with Harry's, which grew to the size of Galleons.

"Don't go, Professor, it'll be a trap for sure. Wait until Dumbledore knows at least. Please…" Harry whispered as he stood up, taking a step towards the Potions Master. He didn't know exactly why he felt so strongly about keeping Snape safe, but he knew if the Professor went to Voldemort now he wouldn't be coming back.

Severus ran a hand through his long, black hair, dragging it over his tired eyes. He had to make a decision now, though he wished he had more time to just _think_ first. It was disconcerting to see Harry worried about his safety, but he knew the boy had a Saving-People-Thing that didn't discriminate, even against someone like him. He studied Harry's distressed expression for a few seconds, his mind an internal battle of wills and intelligence. He knew it would be extremely dangerous for him to be anywhere near the Dark Lord or His followers now, but he also knew that if there was _any_ chance of the Dark Lord not knowing about his betrayal, he had to get to him before any other suspicions piqued. It was ultimately a simple question of doing what was safe, and doing what was in his best interest as a spy. The hard part was going to be his answer, which he knew Harry would fight tooth and nail against.

Severus turned back to his calmly waiting _Patronus_ and nodded slowly. "Tell him I need someone here to watch over Harry while I'm gone." He flicked his wand and watched the silver doe gallop quickly away, making the room darker than before. "Dumbledore will be informed and someone will be here to watch over you soon. Do not attempt to leave for any reason, is that understood, Harry?" Severus asked as he wrapped his cloak around himself, slipping his wand into an inside pocket of his robes.

Harry shook his head fervently, wanting to grab Snape by the front of his robes and shake the stupid out of him. How could the man be so foolish as to walk right into the flames of Hell? "This is suicide! He knows you were there in my mind, he could tell! There's no way your cover hasn't been blown; he'll torture and kill you! Please don't go, Severus…" Harry pleaded, shocked by his own use of the man's first name. He'd never even spoken the word out loud as far as he could remember.

Severus was slightly taken aback by the sincerity in Harry's voice, and especially hearing his first name fall from the boy's lips. He felt something stir in his stomach, but he squashed the feeling before it could cause any interference. "I have to go, Harry. It is in the best interest of the Order and your safety that I try to secure my position in his graces, or else vital information may be lost. Stay here; _do not leave with anyone_, including Order members. You tell whoever comes that you _must stay_, do you understand me?" Severus asked again, this time emphasizing the words heavily as he stared straight into Harry's worried emerald eyes.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, torn between clinging to the Professor to keep him from leaving and punching him square in the jaw. He nodded his head jerkily, regretting it even as he did it. "I understand, sir…Please, be careful," Harry said, his voice constricted as he watched the older man nod briskly, walk into the bedroom and step into the floo. The last thing he saw from the Potions Master was a surprising reassuring smile before the man disappeared in bright green flames.

Ten minutes later, Tonks was spinning through the green flames and stepping out of the floo, her wand raised and ready for a fight. She looked around and spotted Harry, sitting on Snape's bed and staring at the fireplace she had just stepped out of.

"Harry? Are you alright? Dumbledore didn't say much; just that Snape's position has been compromised because of some accident during an Occlumency lesson," she said as she sat beside Harry on the large four-poster bed draped in black and green.

Harry blinked and tried to snap himself out of the reverie he had fallen into after Snape's departure. He looked over at Tonks, who looked expectant and worried. "He's not going to come back, I can feel it…" he whispered, staring into the flames once more.

Tonks reached out a hand and grasped Harry's shoulder gently, surprised to feel the boy trembling. Since when had Harry grown to care for someone like Snape? From what she had heard from various Order members, Harry and Snape had been at each other's throats from the day the boy had stepped foot into Hogwarts. "Snape is a smart and manipulative man, Harry. I'm sure he will find a way out of all of this, you'll see. But Harry, I don't see why you're so concerned. In my opinion, Snape is just reaping what he sowed," she said, flipping her shoulder-length blonde hair out of her face. She had never really been a huge fan of Severus Snape, not that many people were, but being an Auror also brain washed her to believe that, once a Dark Wizard, always a Dark Wizard.

"So Snape deserves whatever he gets at the hands of Voldemort, is that what you're saying? Why, because he was an impressionable youth and made a foolish mistake many years ago? Hasn't he done enough to redeem himself, to pull himself out of the shadows of his mistakes? We all make mistakes, Tonks, even you. He may have done it grudgingly and bitterly, but Snape has protected my life since my parents were murdered. I'm not about to write him off as a lost cause to the war just because he's human.

He risks his life every time he goes to the Dark Lord and brings the Order back valuable information, yet nobody really respects him, save Dumbledore and maybe even Remus. Hell, I didn't respect him either; not until this summer, when he saved my life again and took me in when I had nowhere else to go. But no, why should I respect a man like that?" Harry stared at Tonks, his gaze more of a challenge than anything.

Though he was barely sixteen and nowhere near being a genius, Harry was a lot more mature and grown up than most thought and expected. The underestimation just made it even more shocking when he opened his mouth and proved he had a well-informed brain and his own set of morals. It was easy to underestimate a teenager when you forget that said teenager was Harry bloody Potter.

Tonks shook her head, a bit miffed by Harry's little speech. "That's not really what I meant Harry. I meant that Snape knew the risks involved when he agreed to become a double agent for the Order, and his own mistakes in keeping his guise up were what sold him out, not you or anybody else for that matter. He knew this was coming eventually, Harry, and he was fully prepared to pay for his disloyalty to Voldemort. Some things are not as simple as redeeming yourself and trying to make up for your past mistakes. Snape is not the only one to pay retribution for his actions, and he won't be the last. It's just the way things are, as much as it buggers."

Harry shook his head, uncrossing his legs and sitting up straighter. It sounded as though Tonks believed Snape _wanted_ this to happen, like he had planned on it from the beginning. "So you think this was just an easy out for Snape? That the reason he didn't try hard enough or something was because he wanted an easy escape from it all? Well let me ask you this; what about all the people who reap what they don't sow? People who are good and whole suffer the same fate as those who aren't all the time, so how could you consider it 'retribution for their actions'? There must be a law in the universe or something, a law about needless suffering; a law that God can't even break. Snape isn't 'paying for what he did'; he's sacrificing himself for the sake of my safety and the Order's success."

Harry stood up from the bed, stretching high above his head as he headed towards the door. Though he seemed stoic and calm, his stomach was a rolling mess and he was full of panic. He needed to be alone just then, before he cursed Tonks just for something to vent his frustration on.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit; I'm not feeling too good. Wake me if any news comes?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty by the hurt look in Tonks watery eyes.

Tonks nodded, still feeling ashamed of what she had said and a bit disconcerted about being admonished by a sixteen-year-old and actually deserving it. "Yeah, sure. I'm sure everything will be alright, Harry. I'll let you know if I hear anything, eh? Get some rest."

Harry nodded as he left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He didn't even bother to Transfigure the couch into a bed before toeing off his shoes and falling onto the soft cushions, his eyes sliding closed almost instantly.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what do you all think? Am I going to be stoned for leaving that hanging, or what? Review and leave your murder threats there! Thanks for reading!


	6. You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours

**A/N:** Hello my beautiful readers! I'm sorry that it's taken a bit longer to get this chapter out, but writing chapter 8 of this story has been like pulling teeth! I just can't seem to get it out right, and when I do write, I can only go for a few minutes before being distracted or losing my train of thought. I decided to let you have this chapter early in the hopes that you would all leave me encouraging reviews to help boost my brain to finish up chapter 8 and move on to 9. So, will you help me out? Enjoy!

**WARNING: **Mentions of torture and nudity. Nothing too horrifying, I believe.

* * *

**Ch 6.  
You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours**

"The brilliant Potions Master…The snarky Potions Professor…The baby sitter to the Boy-Who-Lived. Who knew your resume was getting so large, Severus?"

There was rumbling laughter all around him, a few high voices here and there pointing out the women in the room. Severus didn't dare look up to see if they were the wives, or fellow Death Eaters. The cold, hard tiles beneath him were making his knees ache, and he was shivering in the drafty air that blew through an open window, having had his cloak and robes stripped from him upon his arrival. His thin t-shirt and trousers weren't enough to keep him warm in the icy air of wherever they were.

Footsteps circled around Severus as he kneeled and trembled. It had already been fifteen minutes and, from his welcome and current position, it was clear that his cover was blown and he was not safe – at all. He hoped in the back of his mind that Dumbledore had received his message and sent someone to watch over Harry, not really sparing a thought for the possibility of some sort of rescue mission for himself; he knew it was over, and he just wanted to know that Harry was safe still.

"I hear that 'faithful pawn in Dumbledore's army of fools' has also been added to your list of expertise, Severus. Tell me, after searching for Potter for nearly a month and coming up empty handed, I see you lurking in the boy's mind, examining memories of living with you for three full weeks; why did you not bring him to me, if you're such a loyal Death Eater?"

Severus still didn't dare to look up, but he thought quickly for an answer, something to appease the Dark Lord's thirst for his blood. "I had to gain the boy's trust first, my Lord. He would never believe he was safe with me unless I led him to believe so. I had to wait for an opening in which Dumbledore wouldn't notice if he was gone; I needed more time, my Lord," Severus ground out in a shaky voice. He wasn't usually this prone to nervousness, and it was very bothersome to feel so petrified in the face of such danger. He didn't want to die a coward….

Robe-clad knees bent and kneeled in front of him, a cold hand touching the back of his exposed neck. "Oh, how I would like to believe you, Severus. You were always so faithful, so informant. You have done well playing me the fool, my boy, but I'm afraid your role of double agent is up." Voldemort moved away from Severus, standing up and gesturing towards all of the collective Death Eaters. "Let the games…begin."

S~S~S~S

"Harry…Harry, wake up."

Harry sat bolt upright, nearly smacking his forehead into Tonks'. He looked around and noticed his vision was bleary; Tonks must have removed his glasses. "Is there any news of Snape?" Harry asked in a slurred voice. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but the sun was shining faintly through the curtains across the room.

Tonks shook her head as she picked up Harry's glasses and handed them to him. "No news yet, Harry. Dumbledore is working on it, though, so don't worry yourself, yeah? Why don't you let me make you a spot of breakfast and we'll talk some."

Harry frowned, not feeling very hungry at all. What was happening to Snape, could he already be dead? He wasn't much in the mood for food or talking. One glance at his watch showed that what he really needed was time alone, but he didn't think Tonks would stand for that. "I slept all through the night? Weird…that's the first time I haven't had a nightmare all summer," Harry said as he sat up and ran his hand through his messy black hair.

Tonks frowned as she studied the teen. Harry had been through so much in his short life; it was hard to believe the boy was only sixteen and yet so full of concern for those around him. That the boy was surprised he had not awaken from a nightmare made her chest ache in sympathy. She had seen some terrible things as an Auror, yes, but she was far enough removed from the situations to keep her conscious clean. "Come on, Harry, you need to eat."

Harry stood up and nodded slowly, knowing he'd be fighting a losing battle if he refused.

S~S~S~S

Two whole days, that's how long Harry had to sit, trying to entertain himself with different Potions journals and the Legilimency books Snape had pulled aside for him. He was starting to understand more why being a natural Legilimens was so amazing; the art was extremely complicated and was nearly impossible to Master. His respect for Snape grew to a new level.

Snape…No news had been heard, despite Dumbledore's efforts to find him. The last known place Voldemort had set up shop had been cleared out, and without Snape as their informant, they had no idea where he was now. They had no way of knowing if he was dead or alive, at this point.

Tonks hovered over Harry constantly, making Harry take Snape's bed and sleeping on the Transfigured bed in the living room because she refused to sleep in the same place Snape use to lay his head. Harry didn't mind all that much, but he was becoming increasingly annoyed by Tonks. She was just one if those people that you had to take in small doses, and Harry was over-dosing quickly.

"Harry, do you want to play chess or something? I'm bored! I can't just sit there and read like you can; books drive me mad," Tonks complained as she popped a Bertie Bott's into her mouth and rested her feet on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Harry had the strongest urge to remove her feet from the table with a sneer. It made his skin crawl as he realized how Snape-like the very thought was. "Sorry, Tonks, I'm just not in a chess playing mood. Maybe later."

"Gee, Harry. When I was your age, I wouldn't sit still for more than a minute at a time. You're a strange kid, you know that?"

Harry snorted as he turned a page in his book, throwing Tonks a bored glance. "Trust me, I know it."

A loud bang in Snape's bedroom accompanied by a soft curse made Harry and Tonks both jump up and move towards the closed door, wands held aloft. Harry used his wand to open the door and was prepared to start firing hexes when he saw that it was only Charlie Weasley.

"Charlie? What on earth are you doing here?" Tonks asked as she lowered her wand and stepped forward.

"Wait! What colour jumper did you mum give me for Christmas last year?" Harry asked, his wand still pointed at Charlie.

Charlie's eyebrows creased for a second before he realized that Harry was only trying to confirm his identity. "Maroon with a golden snitch in the middle that flew around when it needed the wash," he answered calmly, smiling lightly at the teen.

Harry nodded as he smiled back at Charlie, lowering his wand. "Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid these days," he said as he shook the red-head's hand.

Charlie chuckled as he put his own wand away and clapped Harry firmly on the shoulder. "It's quite alright, Harry. That was very smart of you, actually. Tonks would do well to remember her training, eh?" he said as he grinned at the now purple-haired woman. "Anyways, urgent business, I'm afraid. Dung has got himself arrested again and as Kingsley is still out looking for Snape, Dumbledore needs you to clean up this mess for him. I'll stay with Harry until you get back."

Tonks nodded as she gave an exasperated sigh. "Bloody old thief just can't keep his hands to himself, can he? I'll be back as soon as I can, Harry. We'll have that chess match then."

Harry put on a fake smile for Tonks and nodded to reassure her. "Yeah, that sounds good. Be careful."

Charlie noticed that Harry seemed relieved after Tonks had left through the floo and chuckled to himself. "She's a lot to handle, Tonks, but she means it all in good spirit. Kind of grows on you after a while, really. How've you been holding up, Harry? I know it can't be easy being holed up here with Snape all summer."

Harry led the way back into the living room and plopped down onto the couch, setting his discarded book on the coffee table to make room for Charlie to sit. He never really got to talk to the second eldest Weasley brother, but he liked him all the same. He was a fairly laid back guy for being a Dragon tamer in Romania. "I don't mind it, actually. Snape saved my life, and he's been really helpful this summer too. He taught me Occlumency and helped me discover my Legilimency skills. He's really not that awful outside of Hogwarts, you know."

Charlie snorted as he leaned back on the couch, looking around the cramped little cottage and wondering how on earth something so homely could belong to Snape. "I've seen him outside of Hogwarts for many years now, Harry, and he's just as unpleasant as ever. I think maybe the old Potions Master has been taking it easy on you this summer, as he rightfully should. I won't say Snape is my favourite person, but he's a good man deep inside."

Harry nodded, happy that he finally had someone agree with him. "No news still?"

Charlie shook his head morosely as he studied Harry's worried expression. The boy truly cared for Snape's safety, and as strange as it was, it made Charlie respect the teen a bit more. "Sorry, Harry…Nothing yet."

S~S~S~S

"Is 'e dead yet? I'm starvin' over 'ere!"

"Aye, he's still breathing, but his wounds will make him bleed dry. Let's just get rid o' him now and be done with it, eh?"

A man in black robes walked into the cellar, looking down with disgust at the body that lay at his feet. "The Dark Lord wants a word with you two. He said to let me handle him while you're away. Go," the man said, jerking his head towards the stairs that led out of the cellar.

"Aye, he's still kickin' so be careful. Get rid of the body tonight; Malfoy will kill us if we let Snape here smell up his pretty little cellar."

The two men flanked in masks laughed harshly as they stepped over the bloody mass on the cellar floor and climbed their way up the stairs. The man in black waited until he heard the door slam closed before pointing his wand and locking it. He knelt down beside the huddled up body and gently touched the bruised cheek of Severus Snape.

"Sweet Merlin, Severus…What have they done to you? It's Remus; I'm under Polyjuice of another Death Eater. I'm sorry it's taken this long to get to you, but I'm here now. I'm going to get you to safety, alright? Just hang on for a few more seconds."

Severus groaned as every muscle in his body ached and he felt the blood seeping from his various wounds. He had many broken bones and plenty of internal damage, he was sure of that, but he had managed to hang on to his consciousness through sheer will alone. He couldn't dignify a better response as his throat was raw and torn from screaming. He tried to open his swollen shut eyes so that he could see the man currently wrapping a cloak around his naked and bloody body.

"Apparation is out of the question with the state you're in. I have an emergency portkey that we'll have to use. I'm afraid you'll probably feel plenty of discomfort either way; I'll try to make it as painless as possible." Remus bent down and wrapped the cloak he had taken off more securely around Snape's shaking body. He carefully slid his hands underneath the man and lifted him easily, using his extra strength that his Lycanthropy allotted him. He reached into the front of his robes and pulled out a necklace shaped like a phoenix.

"Get ready, Severus, this is going to hurt. _Strenuus Eo!_" The phoenix pendant glowed red for a moment, allowing Remus just enough time to lift Severus' arm and place the phoenix partially in his lank grasp. The familiar feeling of a hook behind the navel swept them away from the dark cellar of Malfoy Manor.

Remus prepared himself for a rough landing, trying to take most of the impact himself so that Snape would not be further injured. As they landed, Remus fell to his knees, still holding Snape in his arms. He felt his skin start to bubble and change as the Polyjuice potion wore off and he returned to his own body.

Severus let out a pained moan as the impact of the landing jarred all his broken bones and puncture wounds. He felt like sicking up, but didn't even have enough strength to try. The cold wind let him know that they were out doors. He shivered in Remus' arms, too weak to feel humiliated by his current position.

Remus stood and quickly made his way to the cottage, which was twenty feet away. He kicked the door open instead of trying to struggle with his wand. "Help, I've got Severus!" Remus yelled as two worried voices gave a shout of fright from the bedroom.

Harry ran out of Snape's bedroom, where he had been playing wizard's chess with Charlie. He felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw Remus carry a half naked but covered Snape over to the Transfigured bed in the living room. He was covered in dirt and blood, his hair tangled and matted. "Oh God, is he alive?" Harry asked as he hovered close to the bed, trying to resist going to Snape and checking him over.

Remus pulled out his wand and conjured a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth. He began to sponge away the dried blood and muck around a few open wounds that he could see on Snape's abdomen and chest. "He's alive, but only just. He's covered in flesh wounds; looks like he was hit with a Cutting hex over and over. I'm sure he has quite a few broken bones as well. Here, take this cloth and very carefully clean around the wounds so that I can start healing them," Remus said as he conjured another cloth and handed it to Harry. He turned to look at Charlie, who was standing back with his wand still raised.

"Go to Dumbledore, tell him I've brought Severus back to the cottage and am treating him now."

Charlie nodded quickly and ran back into the bedroom, grabbing a handful of floo powder and tossing it into the flames. He stepped in and called out his destination, which stayed silent as the green flames whisked him away.

The water in the bowl soon became a murky reddish brown colour as Remus and Harry worked together to clean Snape's many wounds. Remus used his wand to refresh the water between healing wounds and cleaning others. After an hour, in which Snape finally lost consciousness, Remus had healed all of Snape's wounds and most of his broken bones. He still had a lot of healing to do on his own, and a diagnostic spell showed that he had a concussion to top it all off.

"He should sleep for quite a bit now, but if he wakes up and complains of pain, there are a couple of Pain Relieving potions sitting on the table. There's a Dreamless Sleep there in the green bottle if he should wake with nightmares or anything. He might be a little disoriented when he wakes up, but just try to calm him down and he'll be alright. "

Harry wiped his brow with his sleeve as he sat the bloodied cloth into the bowl of dirty water and glanced at the sleeping form of the Potions Master. He looked strangely peaceful, even with all the bruising and small cuts on his face. "Aren't you staying, Remus?" Harry asked as he tore his gaze away from the Potions Professor.

Remus frowned and shook his head, pulling a metal flask out of his too-large robes. "I must go back before Voldemort realizes I'm gone. I've been on a mission for the Order for a week now and only just got the opportunity to get to Severus. I'm afraid I've already been gone for too long. I'll alert the Order that you're alone with him; I'm sure Dumbledore will send somebody. Be careful, Harry, and floo the Order if necessary." Remus raised the flask to his lips and took a deep drink. After a few seconds, he started to transform back into his Death Eater disguise.

Harry felt slightly uncomfortable with the idea of staying alone with Snape in his current condition. What if something went wrong and he needed some sort of quick healing? Harry only knew one healing spell, and it was the simplest one. He sighed and nodded his agreement to Remus. "Ok…Just…Come back in one piece, yeah?"

The unfamiliar face that Remus was wearing smiled solemnly at Harry as he nodded. "Of course, Harry. Don't worry about me, worry about Severus," Remus said, nodding towards the dozing man. He offered Harry a reassuring smile before turning back towards the door and leaving the cottage.

Harry stood staring at the front door for a few minutes, unnerved by the thick silence surrounding him. He couldn't even hear Snape's breathing because it was still fairly shallow and unsteady. It worried him more than he cared to admit. This man had rescued him, despite his obvious dislike of him at Hogwarts; he'd even vowed to protect Harry when he was only an infant. Snape had taken him into his home, left Hogwarts for the summer to stay with Harry. How could he _not_ have at least a little compassion for the man? He sat down in the arm chair beside the Transfigured bed and curled his knees up to his chest, pulling the throw blanket over himself as he watched the minute rise and fall of Snape's chest.

S~S~S~S

Severus was falling. The black vortex that was spinning around him seemed endless, nothing but pitch blackness below him. Then suddenly, the ground was coming up, but he was too close, he'd surely die from the fall! Only a few feet now –

"No!" Severus yelled as he sat bolt upright in bed, his body covered in cold sweat as he trembled.

Harry jerked awake and straightened his glasses as he stood up. He moved towards Snape, who flinched at Harry's quick movements. "It's alright, Professor, it's just me, Harry. You're home now, you're safe," Harry said quietly as he moved closer to Snape.

Severus blinked as he looked around, his head spinning slightly from his abrupt awakening. He looked over at Harry as he spoke, watching his lips move as his ear didn't seem to want to work properly. He rubbed his temples, trying to ward off the headache that was starting to form. His body felt heavy and sore, and his hair was matted and full of dried blood and dirt. He didn't have the strength to respond to Harry. Besides, what was he supposed to say?

Harry frowned as Snape rubbed his temples and grimaced. He looked disoriented and seemed like he might be in pain. "Here, take this; it's a Pain Relieving potion. Are you thirsty or hungry? Can I get you anything?" Harry asked as he uncorked the potion and handed it to Snape.

Severus took the potion and drained it, pushing the vial back into Harry's hand. He shook his head slowly as he propped himself up on the pillows behind him. His head started to clear as the potion took effect, making it much easier to think. "A glass of water would be nice, thank you."

Harry pulled out his wand and gave it a complicated twirl, conjuring a glass of cool, clear water. He handed it to Snape and sat down on the edge of the bed near Snape's feet. "How're you feeling?"

Severus drained the glass of water and sat the empty glass down on the table beside the bed. He glared slightly at Harry, though it was half-hearted at best. The boy had a truly concerned look in his eyes. "I feel like I've just been tortured for forty-eight hours and left for dead, then rescued completely starkers by an old schoolmate and cared for by a sixteen-year-old boy. Humiliated doesn't even begin to cover it," Severus drawled as he examined the faint scarring all along his arms and bare chest.

Harry had the urge to laugh, but refrained as he didn't want to be cursed by Snape – who didn't even have a wand to curse him with. Harry felt a great surge of sympathy; losing your wand was like losing an arm. "Don't be ashamed; you were trying to do what was best for the Order. I guess it's kind of like 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.' I owe you my life, sir."

Severus stared at the teen, yet again amazed at his ability to care so much. Harry had even warned him not to go to the Dark Lord, but he didn't listen. Now the life debt had been passed to Remus, who Severus just realized was absent. "Where is Lupin? I passed out soon after taking the portkey; I don't remember anything else."

"Remus had to go back to wherever Voldemort is. He said he was on a mission for the Order under disguise and that's how he got to you. We cleaned your wounds and Remus healed them. You had a few broken bones, but Remus healed those, too. You have a concussion as well, so you should take it easy for awhile. Remus said he would inform the Order that I was here alone with you, but I haven't heard anything from anyone since he left nearly four hours ago," Harry said, a bit miffed that no one had bothered to come check up on him or Snape. Didn't they even care that he had nearly died? Yes, Remus had sent Charlie to tell Dumbledore, but didn't he want to check on Snape himself?

Severus noticed the bitter note in Harry's voice and couldn't help but share the teen's feelings. However much Dumbledore gushed how important Severus was to him, the old man certainly wasn't worrying himself over the Potions Master now. "I'm sure the Order have a good reason for keeping you waiting, Harry, but you've no need to worry; I'm fine, thanks to you and Lupin. I would surely have died if not for the werewolf's quick thinking and your assistance."

Harry blushed slightly at the Potions Professor's praise, fidgeting a bit with a loose string on the blanket thrown over Snape. "I barely did anything, it was mostly Remus who healed you; he's the one who deserves your thanks, Professor," said Harry, frowning at the older man.

"The point is that you cared enough to help, Harry; that's enough to garner my appreciation. Make no mistake, I will surely thank Lupin when I get the chance. A Life Debt has been forged between us now. It's as strong as any other magically binding contract. The only other person I've ever owed a Life Debt to was your father," Severus explained, his throat still feeling a bit raw from two straight days of screaming.

Harry's eyebrows rose as he cocked his head curiously to the side. Snape had owed his father a Life Debt? That was news to him. "How did my father save your life? That's the only way to form a Life Debt, right?" Harry asked as he curled his legs up on the bed and made himself a bit more comfortable.

"Black never told you about that, eh? Well, I don't suppose he would, since it sheds him in a bad light. Your father and I never got along while in school, Harry. In fact, we were practically mortal enemies. By association, Black hated me and I hated him. Lupin and Pettigrew were pretty neutral, though neither of them did anything to stop the fighting, and Peter even cheered them on a few times. They tormented me ruthlessly; you witnessed such a time in the pensieve just last year. Only a year after that, another event occurred that could have ended in my death.

I was forever curious about Lupin's constant illnesses during our Hogwarts years. I was not a fool; I soon realized that he disappeared during the full moon every month, and I longed to find him out and tell Dumbledore all about it. It wasn't that I had a vendetta against Lupin; really, it was the fact that getting Lupin thrown out of school would hurt Black and Potter, and that was exactly what I wanted. Note that this was after your mother and I stopped speaking, or rather, when your mother stopped speaking to me. I was erratically angry that your father and Black had lost me the best friend I had ever had, and I will admit I was a ruthless little shite back then. I started to give off hints of my knowledge of Lupin's condition to both Black and your father, using it as bait to piss them off and set their minds a worry that I knew their long kept secret.

One particular night of the full moon, I happened to see Lupin leaving the castle, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey and white as a sheet. I wanted to follow, but as soon as I got outside, I had lost them. I turned back towards the castle and ran headlong into Black. He was irate that I had tried to follow Lupin, and he smelled strongly of spirits, I'm positive of that. The fool was drunk and angry and instead of torturing me like he normally would, he told me exactly where to find Lupin.

'_You want to see a werewolf so bloody much, Snivellus? Go to the Whomping Willow after sunset and press the knot in the centre with a stick, follow the tunnel underneath the tree until you reach a wooden door…' _

I was angry, young, and stupid; I followed Black's instructions. I could hear Lupin as the werewolf howling and snarling as I got near the door. Your father arrived just in time to fight the werewolf back in his Animagus form and get me out of there unharmed. Apparently Black had gone to brag to James about sending me to my death, and being the noble Gryffindor he was, James came after me. After that, I owed him my life. I never got to repay him, but when the receiver of a Life Debt passes on, the debt passes to their next of kin. I paid that debt your very first year of Hogwarts during a Quidditch match in which, I believe, you thought I was trying to kill you, not save you. No matter now, the past is the past."

Harry didn't realize that he was trembling until Snape leaned forward on the bed and touched his arm in a gentle gesture. Harry looked down at Snape's hand resting atop his arm, the usually soft hands roughened from fighting back against his attackers. He looked up and met Snape's eyes, surprised to see the deep blue and not black. "I'm sorry for the way Sirius and my dad treated you. You're not a bad person…I wish my mum would have seen that and stayed friends with you…"

Severus shook his head firmly, his hand still resting lightly on Harry's arm. "Harry, they are not your crimes to apologize for. By the time Lily had stopped speaking to me, I was so steeped in the Dark Arts that I believed calling her a Mudblood was ok. I'm glad she disassociated with me when she did, or else I might have hurt her worse. I am not proud of my youth, and I am not innocent of paying your father and Black back for everything they did to me. You are not your father, or your godfather, and it has taken me this long to realize and admit that. Now you need to come to terms with it as well."

It felt like a weight had lifted off his shoulders as he listened to Snape's slow, deep voice reassure him. He wondered what would have happened if his mother would have swayed Snape from the Dark Arts instead of leaving him behind for James. Would he possibly have Snape as a father and not James? Or were Snape and Lily destined not to end up together? "Things might have been really different if you'd stayed friends with my mum. You loved her, I know you did," Harry said softly, now avoiding Snape's eyes.

Severus sighed heavily. He was having similar thoughts and Harry seemed very tuned in to his own reminiscing. "I did love her, Harry, but what's done is done and we can't change the past. Besides, if things would have been different and your mother had never married James, you wouldn't be here. Perhaps a different son or daughter in your place, but you are distinctly part James as well as part Lily."

Harry snorted humourlessly as he looked back up at Snape. The way his life had been so far, he wasn't abject to never having been born. "Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad, me never being born."

Severus felt a pang of sadness at those words. The boy was so miserable he wished he'd never been born? What kind of an existence was that? Severus had definitely always had the wrong idea about Harry, and he vowed then to try to get to know who he really was, despite his differences with the teen. "How different the world would be without you, Harry. There's no telling what terror may have reigned upon the Wizarding and Muggle world alike if you hadn't inadvertently stopped the Dark Lord as an infant. Each person, no matter how big or small, makes a significant impact on the world around them just simply by being here. You fall into that more so than most. I know my life would be massively different if you'd never been born."

Harry nodded slowly, knowing what Snape was saying was true, but not feeling any better about it. Maybe he was being melodramatic, but he'd never really had anyone to talk to about these things before; even Sirius hadn't been the most ideal person to have a heart-to-heart with. "Like you said, what's done is done and we can't change the past, so why dwell on it, eh?" Harry said with a seemingly disinterested shrug. "Are you sure you don't need anything, sir?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm really in need of the facilities. I don't think I can walk yet by myself, so I may require some assistance, I think. But first, I'd like you to get something for me. In my Potions lab through the door on the left is a large black cabinet. In the top drawer on the left is a long black box; open it and bring me the wand that is inside," Severus said as he shifted slightly under the covers, his back becoming sore from his current position.

Harry stood up to follow Snape's instructions after nodding once. He entered the Potions lab, which till now he had never seen before, and headed to the back where the large black cabinet was. He opened the drawer Snape indicated and pulled out the skinny black wand box. The wand inside was long and slender and had a cherry colouring to it; much different from Snape's old black, formidable looking wand. Harry walked back out with the wand and held it out to Snape. "I never thought about keeping an extra wand around; good idea."

Severus took the wand and gave it a twirl, clothing himself in simple black pajamas so he could stand without giving Harry a show the teen dearly did not want. "It's not necessarily an extra; it was my mother's wand. I kept it after she passed away. I'll have to get a new one eventually because her magical strengths were much different from mine, but it will do for now." Severus pulled the blankets away from him and tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed. His muscles were still horribly sore and he knew, despite the best healing charms, that his body had not healed correctly.

Harry noticed Snape was having a bit of difficulty getting out of bed, and couldn't stop himself from moving forward and swinging the Potions Master's arm over his shoulder and carefully helping him stand. He couldn't stand seeing the man struggle like that on his own and do nothing to help him. This man had carried him from a burning building – well, at least one that had exploded – the least Harry could do was help him to the loo.

Severus was momentarily shocked by Harry's helpfulness, but allowed the boy to help him over to the loo. He nodded that he would be fine by himself at the door and Harry backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Severus caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and was taken aback. He still had tons of bruises, though they didn't hurt, and he had a few cuts on his cheeks and forehead. His hair was disgusting and made him want to dive for the shower immediately. He knew he'd have trouble standing long enough to take one, however, so he'd either have to take a bath, or have Harry assist him, which wasn't ideal for either party involved. Though he had lost most of his pride upon his rescue, Severus still had at least a little shred of dignity left. He finally made it to the toilet after what seemed like half an hour and relieved himself, feeling a lot better now that his bladder wasn't fit to burst.

He limped and stumbled his way back over to the door, which he nearly fell through as he turned the handle. Harry was there to catch his fall, however, and held him steady before helping him into his room and into his own bed instead of the living room. "Thank you, Harry. Hopefully someone else will come to help and you won't have to play my nursemaid anymore," Severus said with a sigh as he leaned back into his pillows, exhausted from the extremely short trip to the loo and back.

Harry shrugged as he conjured a cup of tea for the Professor and handed it carefully to him. He felt like he needed to force Snape to eat something, but he pushed the urge away, knowing the man would eat when and if he wanted to. "I don't mind so much, sir. Like I said, it's like 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'."

Severus quirked an eyebrow, hearing that saying for the second time in one day and still not really comprehending it. "That must be a Muggle saying, because I've never scratched your back in my life, Potter," Severus slurred as he felt his eyelids grow heavy and begin to close over his tired eyes.

Harry chuckled as he pulled the blanket back over Snape and put the cup of tea aside on the table before he burnt himself with it. "It is a Muggle saying. A lot of Muggle sayings are more metaphorical than literal; I'm so use to hearing and using them that I forget you magical folk probably have no idea – " Harry was cut off by a soft snore from the Potions Master, which made him chuckle even more. He put a hand over his mouth the silence his giggles before backing out of the room slowly, using his wand to turn off the lights and extinguish the roaring fire. "Goodnight, sir…" Harry whispered before he closed the door with a quiet snap.

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**A/N:** So, I hope this chapter was worth the horrendous cliff hanger I left last time! Please leave lots and lots of reviews to help boost my writing abilities! Love to all!


	7. Mi Casa Es Su Casa

**A/N: **Hello all! Sorry it's taken awhile to get this chapter out. I've been in a bit of a writer's block and I hate to post a new chapter if I don't have a few after it completed. I figured I've made you all wait long enough, so here it is! It's kind of short, sorry 'bout that. There's also a few new important parts added in this chapter, so pay close attention!

**WARNING: **Sexual tension. Ooooh lala!

**IMPORTANT EDIT!:** I've received quite a few reviews on this chapter concerning the Remus/Severus (implied) relationship. There are some who love it, and some who despise it and are begging me not to carry on with it. Well, the problem is that I have this story mapped out for quite a bit beyond this chapter, and the Remus/Severus is important to my set story line. I'm sorry to those who don't really like it, but I ask you all to remember that the main focus of the story is on Snape and Harry. This was no way intended to be a Remus/Severus slash fic, and will almost certainly not include any smut at all. I have a few reviewers who have implied that they came for 'Severus/Harry', not Remus/Harry. Maybe I'm misreading it, but if you have any inclination to think that I'm writing this fic as a Severus/Harry slash fic, you're mistaken. I don't really like most cross-gen, especially with a pairing as frightening as Snape/Harry. If my intentions for this story were unclear before now, I apologize and hope that the readers with qualms about the Remus/Severus will find a way to look past it and enjoy the rest of the story. I'm so glad I got such a response, though; now I know where my implications may not be coming across clear and can make them more defined. If there are any questions or concerns about this little explanatory paragraph or the fic in general, you can send me a message here on FF or you can email me at JuliandraIV at AOL dot com. I'd be happy to chat and discuss my fic! Thanks to all my readers and sorry for this horrifically long A/N lol.

* * *

**Ch 7.  
Mi Casa Es Su Casa**

Over the next three days, Harry assisted Severus from dusk till dawn, even drawing him a bath at one point and helping him in, his gaze averted the entire time to spare both of their dignities. Severus was very grateful for Harry's help, but was becoming increasingly annoyed with the lack of concern the Order and Dumbledore were showing. Not even Lupin had come back yet, though Severus figured he was probably still on his mission.

On the third day, the floo roared into life, making Severus jump and nearly dump tea everywhere if not for the quick reflexes of the man who had just stepped out of the floo.

Remus had his wand raised, freezing the tipped tea cup in mid air and vanishing it before it could scald Severus. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to frighten you. I've always said floos needed some sort of warning bell."

Severus glared half-heartedly at the werewolf. "I was enjoying that cup of tea. I'll just have Harry make us some more. Harry!"

Harry scrambled in from the other room, his wand out and his eyes wide in paranoia. He relaxed as he saw Remus standing just in front of the floo, smiling warmly at him. He turned to glare at Snape. "You don't have to shout all the time, you know! I thought you were in here dying or something." Harry turned back to Remus and smiled at him as he stowed his wand away. "Hi, Remus."

"I was just making sure you could hear me, idiot child. Can you please bring us some tea? Lupin scared me half to death and vanished my tea for my troubles," Severus said irritably. He had been particularly sharp tongued all day, though he had no idea why.

Remus smirked at the interaction between Severus and Harry, noting how Harry rolled his eyes at the volatile Potions Professor. "Hello, Harry. It's good to see you."

Harry grumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'must be Snape's time of the month, pissy old man…' before walking from the room. A second later he let out a yelp as a Stinging hex hit him squarely on the bottom.

Severus had his wand raised and pointed towards the door lazily as he sent the hex at Harry, having become use to this particular punishment if Harry decided to run his mouth. He looked back over at Remus, who was smirking at him. "Have a seat wherever you'd like, Lupin."

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling slightly awkward after their last meeting. He'd been struggling for days on whether or not to come check up on Severus immediately, or wait a bit. He'd forced himself to wait three days before showing up at the Bristol cottage.

Severus shifted under his blankets as he sat up more comfortably against the headboard. He'd been wondering when the werewolf would show up, and was extremely put out at the relief he felt when Remus came in through the floo. Maybe he was just happy to see someone other than Harry. "Much better, thanks to you and Harry. I owe you my life, Remus." Severus shocked himself with the use of Lupin's first name; he always used surnames because they were less personal, harder to get attached to or close to. The only other people he ever called by their first names were Draco, sometimes Albus, and now Harry, not to mention women; it was rude to use their surnames.

Remus blinked a few times in shock before smiling lightly at the Potions Master. It was strange, but good to hear his name roll off Severus' tongue. He felt a twinge of guilt as he tried to squash down those erratic feelings, knowing Sirius was probably rolling in his proverbial grave. "Hopefully I will never need to redeem that Life Debt, eh? I've been too close to death too many times already; I'd prefer it if the score was left uneven."

Severus surprised himself by letting the chuckle that bubbled up in his chest out, his eyes twinkling as Remus looked just as surprised. He chuckled again just at the werewolf's expression alone. His bad mood had been miraculously vanished. "I do have a sense of humour, Lupin; just many fail to – ah – tickle my funny bone, I guess you could say," Severus said lightly, actually enjoying the light banter. He felt a tad confused by his conflicting feelings; Remus had always been considered a mere acquaintance forged through the Order only, not to mention a slightly painful reminder of his past. Now, he felt himself almost drawn to the greying man; even more disconcerting as his sexuality was challenged for the first time.

Remus wasn't quite sure what to say or do, and was relieved when Harry walked into the room carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. Remus took the offered cup and graciously sipped the steaming liquid, his eyes meeting Severus' over the blue and white china. He tore his gaze away as Harry asked him if he wanted any cream or sugar. "No, thank you; I prefer my tea a bit stronger as of late."

Harry nodded as he handed a cup of tea to Snape, just the right amount of sugar and cream added; he had learned fast how Snape liked his tea after having to make it for him so often as of late. Harry sat the tray aside and nibbled on a biscuit as he let his tea cool off a bit, looking curiously between the two older men. He had thought he'd seen something pass between them…a sort of _look_. But no, Remus wouldn't be involved with anyone so soon after Sirius' death, and especially not _Snape_, right? "How'd the mission go, Remus?" Harry asked, trying to take his mind off the unsettling thoughts of Remus and Snape..._together_.

Remus took a deep drink of his tea before answering Harry. "It went as well as could have been expected with Voldemort in such a foul mood. He sincerely hadn't any idea Severus was a double agent until – well, I'm sure you remember. He was torturing people left and right for not knowing the truth either, as if it was all everyone else's fault that Severus was such a good liar."

Severus frowned as he lowered the cup of tea he was about to drink from. The way Remus was hesitating just slightly when he spoke of it told Severus that he wasn't an exception to the torture. "Who were you masking as, Lupin?" Severus asked curiously. He hadn't really been able to tell when Remus had rescued him, and had already passed out by the time Remus had retaken the Polyjuice potion.

"Ralph Parkinson. Dumbledore figured that sending me in as an Inner Circle might be too much risk, but he needed me to be a bit high up to get the information we needed."

Severus stared at Remus for a few seconds before taking a long, deep drink of his tea. Parkinson was not necessarily Inner Circle, no, but he was part of what they liked to call the 'Blood Circle'. Death Eaters who were part of the Blood Circle were the ones who did the worst of the crimes; killing and raping mostly, but kidnapping and torturing Muggle and Mudblood children alike were among their expertise. Severus would never have thought Remus would agree if the man would have known such information. "I daresay that wasn't the best choice in disguises. Why Dumbledore didn't come to me and ask me who would be the best candidate is beyond me, but I could have told you right away that Parkinson was not ideal," Severus said darkly as he drained his cup of tea.

Remus shuddered slightly, causing his tea cup to tremble against the saucer in his hand. He took a deep breath before looking back up at Severus. "No, he certainly was not ideal. Luckily I was too busy being _Crucio_ed to within an inch of my life to be forced to do much harm."

Severus frowned in sympathy. He knew exactly what it felt like to be at the receiving end of relentless _Cruciatus_ curses from the Dark Lord for hours on end. It was nothing like his latest treatment, but pain was pain, and after awhile, it didn't matter how it was being administered; it hurt all the same. "I'm sorry you had to experience that; I know well how you feel."

Remus shook his head as he set his now cold cup of tea on the coffee table. He looked back at Severus, who had sympathetic frown still on his lips. "It wasn't anymore your fault than it was mine, Severus. You've no need to apologize for the mistakes of a meddling old man; Dumbledore should have known, and should have been able to prevent it. I've been wondering about his lack of proper intelligence for awhile now; he's been making an awful lot of mindless mistakes lately. How much danger we are all in if Dumbledore decides to crack his pot now, I cannot even begin to imagine," Remus muttered as a faint smirked played at his lips. He felt better seeing the amused grin mirrored on Severus' lips.

Harry frowned confusedly as he looked between Snape and Remus. They seemed to be communicating wordlessly something that obviously had gone straight over Harry's head. "What do you mean, 'crack his pot'? You're not saying Dumbledore is going barmy, are you?" Harry asked incredulously as he sat his tea cup aside and focused instead on the two older men, who exchanged another unexplainable look.

Severus shrugged as he pulled his knees up closer to his chest, resting his chin in his palm, his elbow leaning on his propped up knee. He usually wouldn't be so blatantly blasé around other people, but he was comfortable with Harry and he frankly didn't care if Remus saw him so relaxed. "He is fairly elderly and not getting any younger, Harry. It would not be such a surprise if Dumbledore went senile; it would only be a great loss and an even greater problem. Without Dumbledore, I'm afraid the Order would fall apart due to woeful ignorance alone; only a few of us have any idea how to go about things without relying heavily on Dumbledore's guidance or instructions. It would pose a huge threat to the safety of the Light; that I am sure of."

Harry felt a little bubble of panic form in the pit of his stomach. He too had noticed Dumbledore's lack of proper reaction lately, but he never even considered it was because he was going round the twist already. How old was the elderly wizard anyway? "What do you think will happen if Voldemort hears that Dumbledore is losing his marbles?"

Remus shook his head and frowned darkly. "Probably something we don't want to think about right now. Dumbledore hasn't exactly jumped off the deep end yet, but we have to be cautious in these troubled times."

"Harry, would you mind grabbing a potion out of my lab for me? The one in the purple bottle next to the bi-corn horn bin," Severus asked suddenly, catching both Harry and Remus off guard.

"Yeah, sure." Harry left the room to grab the potion for Snape, wondering if he was in pain and not telling anyone outright. The man certainly did have a high sense of pride, even for a Slytherin. He grabbed the potion and brought it back to Snape, holding it out to him.

"I'd like to discuss a few things with Lupin privately, if you wouldn't mind, Harry," Severus said as he took the potion from the teen.

Harry shrugged and waved lazily at Remus before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. He was used to being in the dark about most everything, though that didn't stop him from being a tad bitter all the same.

A sort of awkward silence followed in which Remus raised a curious eyebrow at the potion in Severus' hand. "You always store Wolfsbane in purple," he commented, almost certain that's what was in the small potion bottle.

Severus nodded, twirling the small bottle in his hands. "Yes, I do. This is my last bottle, since I've been forced to 'experiment' on my store to appease the Dark Lord's orders. I plan to make more but I figured that, since the full moon is so close, I would give this last bottle to you. I know I was your supplier before, so I fear you'd not be able to find any elsewhere."

Remus smiled faintly as he reached out and took the bottle Severus was holding out to him. He looked down at the precious potion that would surely save him from a most horrible transformation in two days. "Thank you, Severus. You're right; I couldn't find it anywhere else. I feared this transformation might have been my last. I'm too old and fragile for full transformations after growing dependant on Wolfsbane, especially after what I've been through this past week," Remus said softly as he slipped the potion into his inside coat pocket.

"Do you ever feel like we're getting to old to play these games anymore, Severus? Like maybe we've served our time and should give it up, let the next generation take over?" Remus asked quietly, his head cocked curiously to the side.

Severus let out a chuckle as he shrugged. "We're thirty-six, not eighty. I know how you feel though. Unfortunately my role is up whether or not I felt like throwing in the towel. I'm not sure what use I'm going to be now," Severus said with a frown. It was true; his usefulness had dried up when his disguise was blown. Dumbledore hadn't even had the courtesy to check if he was still alive here with Harry. He felt used, to say the least.

"Harry and his friends, even the younger Order members, do you really think they'd be able to handle it alone? They need us veterans to help pull them through. We're experienced in these types of things; they need a point of reference at least," said Severus.

Remus thought about that for a while, getting lost in his own thoughts. He was pulled out of his reverie by noticing how Severus winced when he shifted. "Harry isn't giving you a hard time about having to assist you, is he? He's never been a selfish child, but with the history between you two…"

Severus shook his head as he sat up carefully and threw his blanket to the side as he got into a more comfortable position facing Remus. "No, he's actually been very helpful and hasn't complained at all, really. The dynamics of our relationship have…changed. I realized he's not as arrogant and foolish as his father once was, and he realized I'm not such a bastard after all."

"Severus, James _wasn't_ that bad! You've even admitted it yourself since James and Lily passed. Harry _is_ just like his father; he's strong-willed, a bit stubborn, he's passionate about everything he does, and has the great ability to care for those who surround him. Those are not bad qualities to have received from his father," Remus admonished with a frown. Would the Potions Master never get over this boyhood rivalry with a now dead man?

Severus shook his head, brushing off Remus' reproachful glare. "No, they're not bad qualities, but in the words of a wise werewolf and his mate 'everyone is stupid at fifteen'. I guess it may have come out the wrong way, but I'm not saying that being like James is a bad thing; I only meant that Harry doesn't have the arrogance and foolishness James suffered at Harry's age. I've forgiven James, as part of my Life Debt to him and for Harry's sake."

Remus just stared at Severus, not sure how to react. He tried to get his sluggish brain to make some sort of reply. "Did you actually just quote Sirius and I?" Ok, so it wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but it was something at least.

Severus tried to hold in his chuckle as the corners of his mouth twitched up in a reluctant smile. "Yes, it's a very wise comment. It's become a favourite maxim of mine, actually."

Remus laughed openly, his amber eyes sparkling in amusement. Even after the laughter had died out of his voice, he and Severus just stared at each other. Remus tried to push away to feeling that he was betraying Sirius. He had loved Sirius very much, yes, but Sirius was gone and he couldn't grieve over his lost lover forever, else he end up in an early grave himself. He knew if the opportunity presented itself, he would take it almost immediately. Something occurred to him just then. "What if I moved in here to help you and Harry out, Severus? I could help Harry by assisting you myself, and help you by taking care of Harry while you're still ill. It would only be for the remainder of the summer, or until you got better."

Severus' eyebrows shot up at Remus' offer. He couldn't deny it, it was very tempting indeed, but there were a few holes in the plan. "What about your 'very important role in the Order', as Dumbledore puts it? Won't he be sending you off on missions still?"

A dark look crossed Remus' face, making the wolf in him stand out frighteningly. "I've told Dumbledore that on no account will I go off on his meddlesome missions anymore. These missions have been pointless from the start; it's too late, the werewolves have banded with Voldemort and the more I try to change their minds, the harder they try to kill me. This latest mission was of a completely different nature, and Albus promised me it would be the only one. If he thinks he's going to string me along into going on another one, he is very much mistaken. I will do what I can for the Order, but I refuse to risk my life in order to play a pawn in his crazy schemes."

Severus was shocked by the determination in Remus' voice. The man had clearly been stung one too many times by Dumbledore's injustice, and Severus fully respected his decision. "There's only one more problem then."

Remus quirked an eyebrow in question, clearly not seeing the problem that Severus apparently had.

"Wherever will you sleep?" Severus asked with a smirk.

S~S~S~S

Harry had been thoroughly shocked by the news that Remus would be moving into the cottage for the remainder of the summer. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but he wasn't really complaining either. He was currently waiting by the fire in Snape's bedroom for Remus, who had gone to collect his clothes and the few possessions he wished to bring with him. Snape was sleeping in Harry's bed in the living room, which Remus had insisted on because he didn't want to disturb the healing Potions Professor while he settled into his little corner of Snape's room.

The fire burst into brilliant green flames and Remus stepped out, carrying two heavy trunks underneath his arms. "Well, Dumbledore had a right fit about all of this."

Harry moved forward to help Remus with his trunks, though he was sure he didn't need the help. He sat his end of the trunk down beside Remus' newly Transfigured bed in the corner, then sat on the corner of the bed. "Why, what did he say?" Harry asked.

Remus sighed as he sat down beside Harry, pushing his trunks easily underneath the bed with a single foot. "As soon as I stepped out of the floo at Grimmauld Place, he asked me to go on another mission. I lost my temper and said a few – _unkind_ things to him. When I told him I would be moving in over here for the rest of the summer, he told me that he forbid me from leaving Grimmauld Place. The nerve of that daft old man! As if he had any say in where I choose to live! I grabbed my stuff and left. Oh, Charlie says he's sorry he couldn't finish the chess game, but he's willing to have a rematch when he comes next to see you," Remus added, not wanting Harry to think he was too temperamental with Dumbledore.

Harry chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I was kicking his arse good when you brought Snape in. He probably just wants to beat me to put his pride back together. Isn't he going back to Romania, though?"

Remus shook his head, frowning lightly. "Dumbledore told him he needed him here in England for the Order, so he decided to move back to London, at least until the war is over. He said he misses his work and all the Dragons immensely, but he has an obligation to the Order. It sickens me the way everyone is expected to just give up their lives for Dumbledore's precious Order. I'm very much in favour of doing what we can to win this war, but we shouldn't have to give up our lives in order to do it. I include you in that, too, Harry. I'm sure the world wouldn't end if Ron and Hermione came for a visit here, but Dumbledore of course forbids it. I moved here to help Severus heal properly and take care of and protect you, yet Dumbledore was still against it. He's got a hidden agenda, and I'm tired of fighting blindly for him and getting nothing but pain in return."

Harry was surprised by the venom in Remus' voice. The werewolf was usually very kind and conservative with his opinions, but he was obviously well fed up with Dumbledore. "Dumbledore seems to be on everyone's shite list lately. I guess I've always thought that, whatever his reasons, Dumbledore's actions were for everyone's benefit. Maybe that's just my ignorance speaking, yeah?"

Remus shrugged, giving Harry a sympathetic look. "Dumbledore's advice has always been highly valued among the Order members for just that reason, Harry, but lately he seems to be putting too much at risk for gains that we know nothing about. If he can't be honest with us and lay all his plans out on the table, then why should we be willing to risk our lives for him? It's just proper courtesy, and Dumbledore has apparently forgotten his manners."

Harry nodded in agreement, his expression thoughtful. Maybe it was that he wasn't ever around Dumbledore, or didn't know all of the Order's plans, but he hadn't really thought of Dumbledore as losing his marbles. Two of the smartest men he knew were agreed that something was off with Dumbledore, however, so the odds were against the kindly old Headmaster. "Do you think something will happen soon? Or will it be awhile before the shite hits the fan?"

Remus chuckled at Harry's euphemism as he opened one of the trunks and began to pull out his suits and casual clothes. At the very bottom of the trunk was a thick, folded mound of velvet. A sad smile spread across the werewolf's face as he lifted the heavy velvet cloak and shook it out. "I haven't had the heart to return it to his closet…"

Harry frowned at the deep black velvet and reached out a hand to run his fingers through the soft fabric. "Sirius' favourite cloak. You've had it since the memorial service?" Harry asked, though he already knew the answer.

Remus nodded slowly as he played with the filigree clasp connecting the two sides of the expensive cloak. "I moved out of our room the day after the memorial service. I left all of his stuff untouched, but this I kept. I think…I think maybe you should have this, Harry," Remus said, holding the cloak out to the frowning teen.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked up into Remus' lined and scarred face. He shook his head rigorously, pushing the cloak back towards Remus. "No, Remus, you should have it, not me! I…I can pick something else of his or something, but his cloak should be yours. It's obviously important to you, I couldn't…"

"Harry, I loved Sirius with every fibre of my being, but he's gone now, and focusing on his loss will do me nothing but harm. In order for me to come to terms with it, I need to distance myself from him, if only until I can handle it better. I need to move on, Harry, and clinging to this cloak will prevent me from just that. If you want to think in terms of keeping it for me until I am better adjusted, then that's fine. Save it, and I will ask for it when the time is right," Remus said as he laid the heavy cloak over Harry's knees.

Harry looked down at the cloak, clutching the velvet to his stomach as he tried to fight off the lump in his throat and the moisture in his eyes.

Just then, the floo burst into flames and Tonks stepped out in a rush. She looked around quickly and spotted Remus and Harry, who both quickly stood up at the look on Tonks' face.

"It's the Malfoy boy; he's come looking for Dumbledore at Headquarters."

Remus went quickly to wake Severus in the living room, leaving Harry to stand awkwardly clutching Sirius' cloak while Tonks frowned at the velvet material.

"Wotcher, Harry."

Remus walked around the side of the Transfigured bed and gently shook Severus' shoulder. "Severus…Severus, wake up!"

Severus' eyes snapped open and he looked up into the worried face of his old schoolmate. He tried to push himself up, but slumped weakly against his pillows. "What is it, Lupin? What's going on?"

Remus put his arm around Severus' shoulders and helped him sit up properly, pushing his pillows up to help support him. "Tonks just came in through the floo. She said Draco Malfoy has come looking for Dumbledore at Grimmauld Place."

Severus' stared at Remus for a few seconds, not quite believing his ears. He didn't register the fact the Remus' arm was still resting against his bare shoulders. "He came…But – how? How on earth did he know where Headquarters was?"

Remus shrugged as he pulled his arm away from Severus, though he did it reluctantly as he was afraid Severus might begin to panic. "I don't know the details, but Dora might. Let me get her for you." Remus walked back into Severus' bedroom and noticed the awkward tension between Harry and Tonks. "Dora, Severus would like to speak with you."

Tonks nodded before sending Harry a tight smile and following Remus out into the living room. She managed to hide her disgust at seeing Snape without a shirt on as she moved closer to the bed. "Snape, you're looking better."

"How would you know, you haven't seen me since a week before my torture," Severus snapped, glaring slightly at the revolting pink hair atop the otherwise attractive woman's head.

Tonks grinned as she sat down on the arm of the chair beside the bed. "Yeah, I know. I was referring to your lack of clothing," she teased, getting herself two glares and a blush.

"That was uncalled for, Dora. What is happening with Mr. Malfoy, how did he even know where Headquarters is?" Remus asked with a frown. He was trying himself not to notice Severus' half-nakedness, but he couldn't deny it; Snape was very well built for a wizard who hid his physique under many layers of robes and cloaks.

Harry walked into the living room and sat down on the coffee table, watching the three adults simply glare at each other for a few minutes. Remus was glaring at Tonks, who was alternating between glaring at Remus and Snape, while Snape glared furiously at Tonks. It was amusing, yet still kind of annoying.

"Malfoy is descended from the Blacks. He was taken to see Grimmauld Place as a child by his grandparents back when they were alive. He assures us that Lucius and Narcissa don't remember the address, but he did. He could see it just like any Order member could. Charlie Weasley answered the door when he veritably tried to pound it down and carried the poor wretch in. He's in a pretty bad way, and just kept mumbling that he needed to speak to Dumbledore," Tonks explained as she crossed her arms over her chest. The boy had looked miserable, but it didn't change who he was; a Death Eater's son.

A low growl emitted from Severus as he glared a hole through Tonks. "That 'wretch' is my godson, _Nymphadora_," Severus ground out, putting icy emphasis on Tonks' first name.

Remus could tell nothing was going to be found out if Severus and Tonks continued to communicate, so he took the burden on himself. "Dora, has Dumbledore spoken with the boy yet?"

Tonks stood up as if to leave. "He's speaking with him now. I have no idea what he's going to do with him, but Albus told me to come inform Snape here that Malfoy is at Headquarters and, relatively speaking, safe. I have to get back to the Ministry, I'm sure someone will update you soon." Tonks turned and walked back into Snape's bedroom, tossing in her own floo powder and stepping into the green flames. "Atrium, Ministry of Magic!" She was gone.

Severus made to get out of bed, but was having a hard time looking dignified as he nearly toppled out of bed with the blankets wrapped around his legs.

Remus moved forward and pushed Severus back into bed, disentangling the blankets from his legs. "Calm yourself, Severus. You're in no shape to go tearing off to London right now. I'm sure Dumbledore will come when he is finished speaking with Draco."

Severus scoffed as he moodily crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Everyone is so bloody sure of people coming to update me, but where the fuck was everyone after you brought me back here, eh? No one has shown up but you to check on me. They don't give a damn about my well-being, including my worry about my godson! All Dumbledore wants is to hound him for information. He's probably sick and wounded and nobody fucking cares!"

"Severus! That is enough! Get a hold of yourself, please. We don't know the circumstances regarding where Malfoy has been, and I'm sure if he had dire enough injuries, Dumbledore would have surely gotten him care before questioning him. I know you are worried about him, but giving yourself an anxiety attack over it will help nothing." Remus sat down on the corner of Severus' bed a laid a hand gently on the Potion Master's leg.

Severus sniffed irritably as he turned his face away from Remus and Harry both. "Harry, would you make me some tea, please?" he asked, not wanting the Gryffindor to see him so very emotional and vulnerable.

"Of course, sir. Do you want something to eat as well?" Harry asked as he got up and moved towards the kitchen. He was shocked by Snape's strong reaction to the situation, never hearing the man curse so much in the five years that he had known him.

"No, thank you, Harry," Severus said, his face still turned away. He waited until Harry had disappeared into the kitchen before looking back at Remus, who was frowning sympathetically at him. "I have always considered Draco to be like a son to me. His father is a vile piece of work, and Draco has always come to me when seeking help or just an escape from Lucius and Narcissa," Severus stopped to clear his throat, averting his gaze down to his lap before speaking again. "I had almost accepted the fact that I would never see my godson again, so you will forgive me if I'm just a little bit over-dramatic right now. I want my son back," Severus whispered, glancing back up at Remus, who had begun to comfortingly rub his leg.

"And you shall have him, Severus, my boy!"

Severus' head snapped around as he heard Dumbledore's voice. He spotted Draco standing just behind the old Wizard, his head hung and his shoulders sagging pathetically. With a sudden burst of energy, Severus was out of the bed and pulling Draco into a tight embrace, not caring who saw this moment of sentimentality. "Sweet Merlin, Draco. I was afraid they'd killed you like they tried to do me." Severus pulled away and held the Slytherin at arm's length, kneeling down so he could see into his face. "Are you alright, are you hurt?"

Draco shrugged without looking into his godfather's eyes, preferring to keep his mouth shut lest he throw up the tea and crumpets Dumbledore had provided for him. He had not eaten in so long that his stomach was revolting against the food and drink quite spectacularly.

Severus frowned as he stood back up and pulled Draco close to him, cradling his shaggy, dirty head to his chest. "It's alright, you're safe now."

Harry walked in just then holding a tray of tea. He promptly dropped it, causing the china to shatter and the hot tea to go flying across the living room floor. Snape was cradling Draco Malfoy to his chest, whispering to him comfortingly. Malfoy looked horrible; he was deathly skinny, his clothes were in rags, his normally sleek blonde hair was muddy brown and lank, and his aristocratic face was pale and clammy looking. The usual malice that twinkled in his eyes was gone, the usually shimmering silver just a dull gray as he stared at Harry, leaning limply against the Potions Professor.

"Malfoy…"

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, so don't shoot me for the implied Remus/Snape! It's something new I'm trying. Is it working, is it revolting? LET ME KNOW! There are 87 of you out there that have this on alert, PLEASE take the time to review and let me know what you think of it! I will be honest and say that the next couple of chapters are less about Harry and Snape and more about Remus and Draco, but don't worry, it'll go back to focusing on Snape and Harry soon enough.


	8. Memory

**A/N: **Hello my lovely readers! I'm sorry for the wait yet again, but spring break was crazy and now school is sadly back in session. I've been finding it kind of hard to write as of late, and I'm still only on chapter 10 right now, but I figured it was time for an update. I probably won't update again until I have at least chapter 10 and half of 11 written. Please enjoy and, as always, tell me what you think!

**WARNING:** Tension, talk of murder.

* * *

**Ch 8.  
Memory**

Severus pulled away from the abused teen and knelt in front of him, not caring in the least that he was still half naked. He reached up a hand and brushed Draco's too long blonde tresses out of his eyes, gasping as he saw the bruising and cuts littering the Slytherin's visage. His usually lively gray eyes were dull and sunken in, tinged with purple and green from the healing bruises from old black-eyes.

"Draco, say something, anything," Severus pleaded in a whisper, fearing for the boy's sanity. Where had he been, who had he been with, what had they done to him? The second Severus found out, he'd be on a mission to find them – and kill them.

Draco blinked slowly at his godfather, feeling two other sets of eyes staring at him. He gulped down the dryness in his throat, wishing he could crawl under a rock and die, away from the prying eyes. "I'm tired, Severus…" he whispered, his voice hoarse and shaky.

Severus tried to push away the lump that formed in his throat with a sudden upsurge of emotion. He stood up and steered Draco over to the bed he had vacated, pushing the teen into a sitting position. Severus sat down beside Draco and draped an arm over his shoulders, feeling extremely over-protective.

"Severus, the boy refuses to tell me where he's been, and who he's been with. I figured I would let you try to get him to speak before taking drastic measures. I'll give him time to rest and get over the shock, but I will need to know at some point," Dumbledore said as he swept his long beard over his shoulder.

Severus glared slightly at the Headmaster, instinctively pulling Draco closer to him. "Has he been checked over for injuries at all, and have they been healed? Did you take his well-being into consideration for even a _second_ before you started interrogating him?" Severus snapped irritably.

Dumbledore frowned at his Potions Professor, feeling the waves of undulated anger flowing steadily from the man. "I checked him over myself. He has a fair bit of bruising and some minor cuts, but he was otherwise unscathed. I healed the few bruises bad enough to warrant healing before I started to try and speak with him. I am no fool, Severus. How could you ever think I would not take the safety of one of my students seriously?"

"You didn't take the safety of one of your past students seriously, so forgive me if I feel you couldn't give a damn either way. Draco stays here. I'll let you know if and when he feels ready to speak with you," Severus said shortly, his jaw set and his eyes flashing dangerously. Dumbledore had some nerve, trying to act the concerned grandfather. The old bat was using Draco just like he used everyone else.

Dumbledore frowned sadly and nodded slowly at the Potions Master before sweeping back into the bedroom and leaving through the floo, not bothering to say a word because he knew it would do him no good.

Harry shifted uncomfortably amongst the broken china and spilt tea. He pulled out his wand and cleared away the mess, trying to distract himself from the situation.

"Are you supposed to be using magic, Harry?" Remus asked. That had been at least the fifth time he'd seen the teen use magic so far. Surely the Restrictions on Underage Magic still applied; Harry was barely sixteen.

Harry blushed but nodded nonchalantly. "Snape gave me permission to use magic because of the amount of danger I'm in, as well as helping him out more quickly and easily. The Ministry isn't any the wiser; it could just as easily be Snape performing all the magic."

Severus had tuned Harry and Remus out and was focusing all of his attention on the broken boy cradled in the crook of his arm. He was shaking slightly and his skin was cold to the touch. "I think maybe you should get some rest for now. After you're rested we can see about healing the rest of those bruises and cuts and try to get you eating and drinking normally again. Does that sound alright?" Severus asked the wounded Slytherin in a gentle whisper that was so unlike his usual drawl.

Draco nodded as he leaned heavily against his Head of House, his head starting to pound again as whatever Dumbledore had given him began to wear off. "Can you give me Dreamless Sleep, Severus? I won't be able to sleep on my own..."

Severus nodded and pulled out his mother's wand, summoning a bottle of the Sleeping potion from his potions lab. "Of course I can. Drink the whole thing. You should be out for quite a few hours; it will help you regain your strength."

"Thank you," Draco whispered as he knocked down the potion and allowed Snape to lay him down on the bed, pulling his mucked up old trainers off and covering him with the blankets. Draco didn't care that Harry and Remus were still in the room as he let the blackness at the edges of his vision take him over at last.

S~S~S~S

It was quiet now. Remus had Transfigured the armchair in the living room into another bed for Harry. He'd had to convince Snape to sleep in his own bed and not right beside Draco. Now they were alone in Snape's bedroom, the deafening silence grating on Remus' nerves. He felt antsy, like something was going to happen. What more could happen after this long day, Remus had no idea.

Severus was sitting on his bed, completely lost in thought as he tried to push his thoughts away from what could have been done to Draco. It was warm in his small room, especially with his old classmate sitting beside him and looking worried.

Remus leaned over and laid his hand on Severus' shoulder, bringing the man back out of his reverie in which he stared blankly at the wall ahead of him. "Hey, you're zoning out there."

Severus blinked a few times as he savoured the comforting feeling of somebody willingly touching him, even it was just his shoulder. "Sorry. I'm just...I'm trying not to imagine all of the horrible things Draco must have been through. Like Dumbledore, I want to know what's happened, but I know if I try to force it out of him it'll just make it worse. I didn't realize how much this would affect me."

"If you consider him to be a son to you Severus, then of course this is going to affect you greatly. When I heard what had happened to Harry, Dumbledore was forced to stun me to keep me from running straight to him. Fatherly emotions are strange to have when you've never technically fathered a child before, I know, but with boys like Harry and Draco, it's easy to fall into a protective role around them. It's ok to feel like this, just don't let it worry you to madness." Remus tightened the hand on Severus' shoulder for a second before pulling it away and standing up. "You need rest as well. You're still not fully healed and ignoring your body's need for rest will only make your healing time longer. Get some sleep and let me worry about keeping an eye on the boys, alright?"

Severus let out a long breath and nodded reluctantly, already missing the warmth of Remus' calloused hand on his shoulder and his warmth beside him. He had the strongest urge to reach out his hand and pull Remus back to him. Without really thinking about the consequences, he followed the urge and grabbed Remus' hand before he could walk away. "Remus...Stay, please," Severus whispered, hating how pathetic he sounded. He'd never allowed anyone else to see him so weak before.

Remus felt his stomach do a flip as he felt Severus' smooth hand in his own. He'd never seen or heard the Potions Master so very vulnerable as he was now, and he couldn't deny the man the comfort he so craved. Remus sighed as he sat back down beside Severus, surprised when the man leaned against him and how easy it was to wrap an arm around him and pull him closer. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all.

Severus closed his eyes as the tightness in his chest started to unravel slowly, gaining strength from Remus' closeness. He would never be so bold if he hadn't been so upset at the time, but he didn't really care now. Even someone as strong as him had a breaking point with trying to keep it all in, and the dam had finally broken on his heart. Severus laid his head comfortably on Remus' shoulder as he leaned against the werewolf. "I hate feeling so damn helpless..."

"Don't we all? I can honestly say I've never been glad to feel helpless. Besides, you're not helpless, you're scared; there is a difference," Remus said quietly as he held Severus close to him. It was strange how it didn't _feel_ strange to be this close to the Potions Master. He was still in shock with the entire situation.

"Yeah, I guess I am..." Severus took a few more seconds to gather his thoughts before he sat up straight again and swept his long black hair out of his face. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be unloading all of this onto you. The full moon is tomorrow, correct? Have you thought about if you're going to stay here for it or not?" Severus asked, trying to turn the conversation towards Remus and away from himself.

Remus frowned slightly; he had forgotten about the full moon for five glorious minutes. He hadn't really thought about where he was going to be spending the full moon, to be quite honest. Moony was still awfully upset about being kept in Remus' psyche by the Wolfsbane and being deprived of his Padfoot for the last two moons. "I guess I should probably go back to Headquarters for the night. I'll have to stay in a different room though; smelling Sirius in my old room drives me crazy with the wolf's senses."

Severus frowned sympathetically as he lightly placed his hand on top of Remus'. "You really miss him, don't you?"

"I'm going to assume that is a rhetorical question, because you must obviously know the answer. It's not just me, though; Moony misses Padfoot, as strange as that sounds. I must sound schizophrenic, talking about myself in the third person," Remus said with a sad little chuckle. He turned Severus' hand over and traced the smooth lines of his palm with his index finger, trying to memorize the textures and grooves he felt.

Severus smiled a genuine smile as he looked down at the scarred and worn hand gently touching his own. "No, you sound like a man who's lost his lover in more ways than one. You're not mad, you're grieving."

Remus stilled his hand as he looked at Severus, trying to get the man's attention. When it worked, Remus took a second to think before leaning in and gently pressing his lips to Severus'. At first, Remus was sure that Severus wasn't going to kiss him back, but after some encouragement from his lips, Severus began to return the pressure, snaking and hand up to rest on Remus' scarred cheek.

Severus hadn't kissed anyone in nearly twenty years; he wasn't quite sure what he was doing. The feeling of Remus' soft, wet lips against his made his heart race and the beginnings of arousal started in the pit of his stomach like a hot pool of molten lava. His thumb gently caressed the werewolf's cheek as the kiss became more passionate.

Remus slid his tongue across Severus' bottom lip, asking for entry. When he received his permission, he gently rubbed the muscle along Severus', exploring the warm, cavernous space of the Potions Professor's mouth. Remus felt every nerve in his body tingle as he heard a quiet, almost imperceptible moan from Severus and swallowed it hungrily with his kiss.

Severus' head was spinning as he allowed Remus to kiss away his oxygen completely. Soon the need became too much, and he pulled away for air, though however reluctantly. His dark blue eyes met sparkling amber ones and for a few seconds, he became lost. That was when his senses caught up with his libido. Severus pulled away entirely and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "We can't do this, Lupin..._I_ can't do this. I have two teenage boys in there that are depending on me to keep them safe; I can't allow myself to become distracted."

Remus smiled sadly at the stressed man and nodded. "I'm sorry, Severus. I shouldn't have done it in the first place. Get some rest, you need it," Remus said as he stood up from Severus' bed and walked over to his own, toeing off his shoes and crawling under the covers. He had tried not to sound so disappointed, or look so put out, but he was afraid he'd failed spectacularly. He lay with his back facing Severus, unable to face the only other person he'd ever kissed besides Sirius.

Severus felt horribly guilty as he lay down in his own bed, his covers thrown over him haphazardly. Ever since the werewolf had saved his life, Severus had felt this tension with Remus. He had wanted that kiss, and he had indeed enjoyed it, but not only his fear of becoming too vulnerable, but his responsibility to keep Harry and Draco safe kept him from allowing himself what he wanted – someone to love.

"Goodnight, Remus..."

"'Night, Severus."

S~S~S~S

It was only three in the morning when Harry's eyes snapped open. He could hear a soft whimper coming from somewhere to his left and it took his sleep laced mind a few minutes to realize it must be Draco. He sat up slowly and slipped his glasses back on, turning towards the dozing Slytherin. Under the faint chink of light shining through the living room window, Draco's pale face was illuminated like the face of a stone angel. His blonde hair still managed to shine even in its wasted state, and the bruises and cuts littering his face were almost invisible.

Another soft whimper, but this time Draco rolled over, his scrunched up face fully visible to Harry now. He looked to be in pain, or maybe that was fear; Harry didn't know. He'd never seen the expression on Malfoy's face before; he didn't know what pain or fear looked like on Draco.

"Mum...Please...Don't hurt her...Please, Aunt Bella...Take me instead..."

Harry threw his covers off and hissed as his feet met the cold wooden floor. He carefully walked over to Draco's bed and laid a hand on the Slytherin's shoulder shaking him gently. "Draco, wake up. It's just a dream..." Harry frowned even as he spoke those words. Snape had given the teen Dreamless Sleep, how on earth was he having a dream? Something boded ill, and it gave him the strong urge to get Snape or Remus, or both. Harry quickly made his way over to the bedroom door, giving it a sharp knock before opening it a crack. The room was dark except for the dying embers of the fire, and the two men were huddled up under their covers on their separate beds.

"Remus, Professor?" Harry called quietly, afraid to be hexed if he scared them awake.

Remus sat up and blinked the sleep from his eyes, seeing Harry's face poking through the cracked door. "Harry? Are you alright?"

Severus stirred as he heard Remus' deep voice sound through the darkness. He pulled his wand out from under his pillow as he sat up, the blanket falling down his bare chest. "What's going on?"

Harry moved all the way into the room, closing the door carefully behind him. "Draco's talking and moaning in his sleep. It sounds like he's having a nightmare, but he took Dreamless Sleep before he went to bed. I don't get how that's possible," Harry explained in a rough whisper.

Severus and Remus exchanged an identical look of horrified realization. "He must have a Memory curse on him," Severus said as he extracted himself from his bed and pulled his dressing gown over the sleep shorts he was wearing.

"Memory curse?" Harry asked, having not heard of such a thing before. Five years at Hogwarts and he was still astounded by the seemingly endless boundaries of Magic.

"When someone has been affected by a Memory curse, they must relive their worst memory in their sleep, despite Dreamless Sleep. Because it is not technically a 'dream', the curse can replay the memory without interference from the potion." Remus explained all of this while looking for his wand, which happened to be under Snape's bed for some reason.

Harry cringed as a shiver ran down his spine. It sounded almost like what he went through every time he was near a Dementor. "That's horrible...Is there a counter-curse?"

"Not technically, no. But there is a way to make it stop," Severus said as he opened the bedroom door and led the way back into the living room. "We have to remove the memory completely."

Harry moved around to the other side of Draco's bed and frowned. "You have to Obliviate him?"

"No, Harry, not Obliviate. Cursed memories cannot be destroyed while in the mind, but they can be removed. So the best way to end the curse is to extract the memory and store it, either in a pensieve or a special bottle made for storing memories. Once the memory is in a pensieve there is a way to exorcise the curse from it, but it takes very strong and advanced magic. The hard part is, we have to wake Draco up and have him willingly think of the memory in order to extract it from him," said Remus as he pulled out his wand and summoned a small green vial in which memories could be magically stored and preserved.

Severus gently swept the Slytherin teen's blonde locks away from his forehead. He hated that he had to wake Draco up, but the boy would only continue to relive the horrible memory every time he closed his eyes unless Severus removed it. "Draco...Wake up, Dragon," Severus said quietly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Draco's eyes flickered open, blinking slowly as he realized he wasn't actually in the library at Malfoy Manor, but in his godfather's cottage living room. He looked up into his godfather's eyes and saw something he rarely saw in the man's expression; worry. "Severus?"

Severus leaned down and placed a hand on the boy's pale cheek. "Do you remember what you were...what you were dreaming just now, Draco?"

Draco nodded as he tiredly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He did remember his dream, but he wasn't sure if he was willing to divulge exactly what the dream was about. He had been reliving the scene every night since...well, since he had escaped his Aunt Bella's clutches. No matter what he did, he saw his mother die over and over again, the warm blood spraying across his face, the taste of iron on his tongue as he screamed in horror. Draco turned his gaze from Snape and his eyes landed on bright green ones, which also held the strange emotion of worry. "Yes, unfortunately."

Severus nearly smiled as he heard the shadow of his godson's old personality in his response. He hoped beyond hope that Draco's spirit would not be broken by this latest bump in the road, but he wondered if that was too much to ask of the broken teen. "Well, this wasn't exactly a dream, Draco. You took Dreamless Sleep, so dreaming would have been impossible. Am I right in saying this dream has been occurring every night like clock-work?"

Draco frowned as he pulled his gaze away from Potter and looked back at Snape. He was right, he couldn't have possibly been dreaming tonight with the potion in his system. "Yes, I have the same dream every night. Well, it's more like a memory..."

"What is the memory of? Can you tell me, Draco? You see, the only way to stop you from reliving it every night is for you to bring it forward so that I can remove it. Can you do that for me?"

Draco had never heard his godfather speak so gently, so caring. It was a bit disconcerting, but a welcome change. Draco had been raised by hard, cold people with the slight exception of his mother, and he had to admit that being coddled felt much better than his up-bringing. Draco nodded fervently, wanting nothing more to never remember his mother's murder again. "Yes, I want it gone. Do you...do you have to see it?" he asked his godfather.

Severus frowned as he patted Draco awkwardly on the shoulder. He didn't know what exactly the memory was, but he knew it couldn't possibly be pleasant. "Not right away, no, but in order for me to try to dispel the curse, I'll have to view it eventually. Is that alright?"

"I guess, but you won't want to watch it, Severus. Mother...you have no idea what they did to her..." Draco whispered, his voice cracking as the memory unwilling came to the surface again.

Severus had had the strong feeling that Narcissa's murder was the memory that Draco was reliving. He shuddered at the thought. "I do know, Draco. It was I who found her afterwards and...was forced to move her for the Dark Lord. I'm so sorry, Draco. You have to believe that I would never have done it if I hadn't been forced to – "

"It's alright, Severus. I know...I just...I want it gone. Can you take it, please?" Draco asked as he sat up and swept his dirty hair out of his eyes.

Severus nodded as he pulled out his mother's wand and turned to face Draco more directly. "You know how to call forth a specific memory, yes? You have to try to remember every detail you possibly can. Tell me when you're ready and I will remove it, alright?"

Draco nodded as he closed his eyes, bringing back all of the horrid images he witnessed that night. He remembered everything, even the way the blade glimmered as his Aunt Bella plunged it into his mother's chest, the taste of the blood as it sprayed across his face and landed on his tongue. The way his chest ached as he sobbed, how his throat tore as he screamed. He remembered the cold, blank stare in his mother's eyes as she breathed her last breath.

"Take it away..." Draco choked out as a tear rolled down his pale cheek.

Severus placed the tip of his wand to Draco's temple and muttered a few Latin words before pulling it away, a long gossamer strand of silver trailing from the blonde tresses. He quickly dropped the memory into the green bottle that Remus held out to him, twisting the cap closed and placing it on the small table beside Draco's bed. Severus reached over and wiped the tear from the Slytherin's cheek. "It's gone now, no need to cry, Dragon."

Harry watched the tender moment with complete sympathy for the Slytherin. He knew what it was like to see and hear his mother being murdered. Though he had only been an infant when it had originally happened, Harry had relived the terrible moments numerous times every time he got near a Dementor. He knew what it was like, and he was very sorry for that fact.

S~S~S~S

After getting a few more hours of mostly restless sleep, the inhabitants of the Bristol cottage spent most of the day in silence, focusing on their own things and letting the others in the house have their privacy.

Remus, however, spent most of the day feeling like hell. He'd gone to Headquarters intending to stay there for his transformation, only to have Dumbledore tell him that he wasn't allowed to use Headquarters for transformations anymore because it frightened the other Order members to know there was a werewolf in the house, whether it had Remus Lupin's mind or not. Remus had promptly told Dumbledore what for and returned to Bristol, snapping irritably at Snape when he asked what had happened.

All the while, Severus was trying but failing to get Draco to speak to him about where he'd been. He'd push, be denied, then back off for a little while, then come right back again and try it all over. He was getting nowhere, and because he didn't wish to distress his godson anymore, he gave up near dinner time.

Dinner was quiet and just a bit tense, everyone pushing their food around disinterestedly – everyone except Remus, who was cooped up in his and Snape's room, curled under his blankets and preparing for his change. It was still a little while until sundown, but his body was aching so bad he could barely move for the pain.

A faint knock on the bedroom door proceeded Harry's entering, tip-toeing as to not wake the dozing werewolf in case he was asleep. One look from Remus told him that he was fully awake, and not very happy because of it.

"Do you need anything, Remus? Are you hungry or thirsty or anything?" Harry asked in a quiet voice from the doorway. He'd been worried about Remus all day, not quite sure how to handle an ailing werewolf. He felt a pang in his heart as he longed for Sirius to appear and tell him what to do.

Remus shook his head slowly as he tried to smile at the worried teen. It wasn't just the aching of the impending transformation that was affecting Remus, it was the aching of his heart to have Sirius beside him, holding him and telling him everything would be ok. He missed his lover so much he could hardly stand it, but he didn't want everyone to think him weak. "Thank you, Harry, but I'm alright. It's just the normal routine of things, I assure you."

Harry didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyways as he turned to leave the room. He stopped and looked back at Remus, trying not to look at worried as he was. "Call me if you need anything, alright?" He waited until Remus nodded before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Severus looked up from the _Evening Prophet_ he had been skimming as Harry walked into the living room, looking quite miserable. "Is everything alright, Harry?" the Potions Master asked as he sat aside the newspaper.

Harry shrugged as he slumped down in the arm chair across from the couch. He watched Draco read for a few seconds before turning back to Snape. "I'm just worried about him, sir. I know he had come to depend a lot on Sirius during the full moon and he's probably feeling terribly lonely without him. I just don't know what to do to help, or if there's even anything I _can_ do."

Severus nodded with a slight frown, knowing what Harry had said was true. His mind wandered to the tender, if not slightly awkward kiss he had shared with the werewolf. Severus had never been one for sentimentality, but that kiss...it was different.

"Maybe there's a potion I can offer him to help him cope better. I'll speak with him," Severus said as he stood up and made his way into the bedroom he shared with the werewolf.

A soft snort could be heard from across the living room as Draco turned a page in his book. He'd been listening with half an ear while Severus and Harry talked about the werewolf. He'd been taught from a young age to always be aware of what was being said around you; it was just instinct to eavesdrop now.

"What are you snorting at?" Harry asked, trying not to sound snappy, nor too sympathetic to the Slytherin, though he still felt really bad for him.

"Oh, nothing...It's just that werewolves can't take any other potions while under the influence of Wolfsbane, and Severus knows it well," Draco said in a carefully disinterested drawl. Though he had been kidnapped, tortured, and run through the mill, it didn't change who he was. He was still Draco Malfoy: snarky, sarcastic, insufferable Slytherin to the core.

Harry frowned at Draco's tone of voice. He sounded just like the bratty Slytherin he'd always been at school. "Maybe he just forgot, Malfoy. Not everything is a plot to undermine people, you know. There are such things as compassion and worry," Harry snapped.

Draco openly laughed at this as he sat his book aside and sneered slightly at the too trusting Gryffindor. "Of course he didn't forget, you prat. Severus Snape is the Potions Master of Great Britain _and_ Scotland; he doesn't make foolish mistakes. I bet he's in there chatting the werewolf up, the sneaky bastard."

Harry scoffed as he glared at Draco, his arms crossed over his chest. "Oh, that's such bollocks! Chatting him up? Snape's the straightest man on the planet! No, I take that back, Snape is asexual; it just doesn't happen to him."

Draco chuckled as he shook his head at Harry. "Oh, Potter, you're just too innocent for your own good. Severus isn't asexual; he's a normal, sexually driven creature like all other men – gay or straight. Just because he's not promiscuous does not mean he's not getting any. He's Head of Slytherin; we have more subtlety than you Gryffindors."

Harry just shook his head, unwilling to believe in Draco's lies. The Slytherin was probably just trying to rile him up, as usual. He grabbed Snape's discarded _Evening Prophet_ and immersed himself in the magical news as a distraction.

S~S~S~S

The door made a soft click as Severus closed it carefully behind him, noticing that the fire had died out and the room had grown quite cold. He moved over to the fireplace and pointed his wand at the still slightly smouldering logs behind the grate. "_Incendio!_"

Remus rolled over as he heard the whispered spell and watched as the logs in the fireplace blazed warmly into life. He sat up slowly and propped himself against his pillows, running a hand through his messy golden locks. Severus was frowning at him, twirling his wand around as if deep in thought. "Thank you, Severus. It was starting to get a bit chilly in here."

"You're welcome. How are you feeling? The Wolfsbane should be taking most of the edge off the pain, though I can only imagine it's quite unpleasant either way."

Remus tried to smile but it ended up being more of a pained grimace as his muscles gave a strong twinge. "Yes, well spotted," Remus said as he shifted to try to make himself more comfortable. He realized how rude he had sounded and had the decency to look sheepish. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rude. I'm just not that pleasant of a person at the moment." Remus frowned as Severus remained standing, seeming a bit restless. Was he making the man nervous?

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and smiled lightly at the werewolf. He wasn't quite sure exactly why he had decided to speak with Remus, and now that he was in front of him, he was even less sure of why he was there. "Quite understandable, I won't take it personally. Is there anything I can get you to make you more comfortable?" he asked as he moved over and sat down carefully on the edge of Remus' bed.

A true smile finally played on Remus' lips as he brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them, leaning his chin on his knee. "There's not much to be done for it. You've done basically all that can be done by providing me with Wolfsbane. I just have to grin and bear the rest, unfortunately." Remus stared at Severus for a few seconds before continuing in a much softer voice. "I really am grateful for the potion, Severus...You don't know how wonderful it is to be able to keep my mind during the full moon."

Severus shrugged with a gentle shake of his head. "I don't mind making it for you, Remus. As much as I complained about it before, there was never a chance of me _not _making it for you. Not even Horrible Severus Snape would let you suffer a second longer than you had to," Severus said with a slight grin. He was trying to lighten the mood, though on second thought, he might have made the tension worse.

Remus snorted in laughter, forgetting his sorrows for a few glorious minutes. "My hero," he mocked with a smile, though he actually meant it quite seriously. He studied the Potions Master's flushed cheeks and his dark eyes for a long time before he realized he thought Severus looked adorable when he was all flustered. Remus almost frowned as he remembered the kiss they had shared and Severus' reaction to it. He couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed. "Oh, and Severus?"

Severus looked up to meet Remus' eyes with a questioning expression, his stomach squirming slightly by the gold reflected there. "Yes?"

"You're not horrible at all." Remus reached out a hand and gently placed it on top of Severus', his calloused palm meeting a smooth, surprisingly delicate hand. He knew he probably shouldn't have done it; he'd heard Severus' objections loud and clear, but he just needed to feel something – _someone –_ other than pain.

Severus looked down at the slightly larger hand covering his own and felt a tingle run up his arm and spread throughout his body. Though he would probably regret it later, Severus looked up into Remus' eyes once more, then let his eyes travel to his lips. He hesitantly leaned forward, afraid to go all the way, but Remus took away all other options when he met him halfway and pressed his lips gently to Severus'.

Remus mouth opened slowly and coaxed Severus' lips open with his tongue. He was vaguely aware of a hand running slowly through his hair as he wrapped his tongue around the one tentatively exploring his own mouth. He let out a soft moan against Severus' lips as he tried to deepen the kiss.

Severus allowed himself to be thoroughly kissed for quite a few seconds before pulling away, his breath coming in sharp pants now. He leaned his forehead against Remus', only aware now of his hand tangled in Remus' thick golden locks. "We can't do this, Remus..."

Remus frowned. He knew that was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. He let out a sigh as he slowly pulled away from Severus, an apologetic look in his eyes. "I know, I'm sorry...It won't happen again," Remus whispered, swallowing the painful lump in his throat.

Severus cocked his head to the side as he studied Remus' disappointed expression. Why on earth would someone like Remus Lupin want to kiss him, anyways? He didn't think he'd ever share this intimacy with anyone again, so why was he pushing the opportunity away when it presented itself? Sure, he was responsible for Harry and Draco now, but what did the future hold? His mind seemed to make itself up as he smiled shyly at the werewolf.

"No, I mean we can't do this _now_; the sun is about to set. I should go now."

Remus blinked a few times in shock before a smile spread slowly across his face. He nodded as he looked around at the small window and noticed the steadily darkening sky. "Yeah, you don't want to see what comes next. You're sleeping in there with the boys, right?" He waited for Severus to nod before leaning forward and stealing another quick kiss. "Ward and silence the room behind you. I don't want to take any chances."

Severus nodded as he stood up from the bed and headed towards the bedroom door. He turned and frowned slightly at the pale werewolf, who didn't hide his look of discomfort in time. "Goodnight, Remus. I'll come in to check on you first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Severus. Goodnight."

* * *

**A/N:** So this chapter isn't exactly important to the storyline, per se, but it helps build the plot. Please let me know what you think in some more lovely reviews!!!


	9. Revelations

**A/N: **Hello again, readers! Well, here is chapter 9 for you all. It's a bit on the short side, but, again, I felt I ended it at an appropriate place. I have received a fair few less reviews on the last chapter then I would prefer. PLEASE review and let me know your opinions of the story so far! I'm very open to comments and suggestions to help make the story better, and I appreciate any and all feedback! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

**WARNING:** I know Snape is going to come off a bit OOC in this chapter, and I apologize for that, but there is a reason for it! He will be back to his usual self, I think, in the next few chapters. Just bear with me for now, and I promise I'll bring the snarkiness back to our favourite Potions Professor!

* * *

**Ch 9.  
Revelations**

The sun rose in what Severus thought was a mockingly slow gesture, the soft gold and red hues illuminating the horizon as the birdsong swelled. He'd been unable to sleep very much that night, wishing he could check on Remus, but knowing he couldn't. He'd stayed up well into the night playing chess with Harry and Draco, or watching the two boys as they played each other and calling their fouls just to spite them. Severus had even tried talking to Draco again about where he had been for the last month but was met with Draco glaring at him and rolling over to face away from his godfather in his bed. Severus had Transfigured a couch pillow into a third bed, squeezing it in between Harry's and Draco's beds for the night. He was vaguely reminded of his Hogwarts years as he listened to the deep breathing and soft snores emitting from the two teenage boys.

Finally, the sun was high in the sky and the last vestiges of the previous night were gone, giving way to the bright and sunny morning. Severus quietly extricated himself from his bed and pulled out his wand, muttering the spells to remove the wards and silencing spells off his bedroom door. He would check on Remus to make sure he was alright, then leave the man to rest; that was his plan.

The door creaked softly as Severus pushed it closed behind him, walking as quietly and soft-footed as he could into the room and craning his neck to see over the blankets blocking Remus' face from view. He took another step and spotted Remus' extremely pale cheek, the long red scar running from the corner of his mouth up his cheek making a stark contrast with the skin there. The slow rise and fall of the man's chest showed that he was asleep, and he seemed to be alright, but Severus wasn't quite satisfied with that. He took another tentative step and peered down at the sleeping werewolf. He impulsively reached out a hand and swept away the gold locks from Remus' forehead, making it much easier to see Remus' still-closed eyes.

He looked very peaceful and relaxed, making Severus relax quite a bit himself. He lingered for a second longer before turning back towards the door, then pausing. It was safe now; he could sleep in his own bed again. He turned back towards his own bed and crawled in, facing Remus on the other side of the room. Severus closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep, which was much easier now that he wasn't so fretfully worried about the werewolf.

S~S~S~S

Harry had been having a very strange dream about Snape and Quidditch when he heard the unmistakable sounds of muffled sobs break through his sleep fogged mind. He opened his eyes and instinctively turned to look towards Draco's bed, the early morning sunlight illuminating the white sheets.

Draco was sitting with his back against the headboard, his knees drawn up to his chest and his head buried in his arms. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but only succeeded in letting out a shaky sob. He sniffled as the salty tears ran down his cheeks and dropped onto his pyjama clad knees, soaking into the silk. He finally raised his eyes as his sobs turned into steady, quiet tears and was met with concern filled emerald eyes peering apprehensively at him from across the room.

Harry sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard of his own bed, frowning at the tear streaks on Draco's pale cheeks. "You alright?" he asked tentatively, almost sure he was going to be sneered at and told off.

Draco wiped a hand across his cheeks as he stifled his sniffles and tears at last. He looked back over at Harry, who seemed almost afraid of him. He had never been best friends with the Golden Boy, or even an acquaintance, but surely Harry wasn't that frightened to speak to him? "I'm fine, thanks. Sorry if I woke you," Draco said in a soft voice that surprised even him.

"Nah, I was already awake, really. I was actually having a really strange dream about Snape playing Quidditch for Hufflepuff. Let me tell you, yellow is not that man's colour," Harry said in a mock serious voice with a theatrical shudder to round it off. He felt his stomach flip as he heard Draco's quiet chuckle.

"I don't think I've ever seen him in any colour besides black, but he must have had to wear green and silver while at Hogwarts at least. He certainly didn't play Quidditch, either," said Draco, glad to move away from the subject of his morning sob session.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at the Slytherin curiously, a slight smirk on his lips. He relaxed a bit as Draco seemed to cheer up marginally. "Oh, and why's that?"

Draco stretched his legs out a bit and ran a hand through his now clean, white blonde locks. "Well, because Sev has always been more academic, not athletic. He focused on his studies in school; how else do you think he became a Potions Master?"

Harry shrugged nonchalantly, never really having given the Potion Professor's study habits any thought before. "I just thought it was because he was really good at potions, so it was easy for him," Harry answered truthfully.

"Just because you may be inherently good at what you do, doesn't mean we all are. Sev had to work his arse off to gain his title, you know," Draco snapped irritably. He'd always had a sore spot for Harry's seemingly effortless ability to do pretty well in all his classes, while Draco had to study religiously to earn his near top grades.

Harry was about to retort when he finally realized that Snape was missing from his bed. He turned to look at the bedroom door, which was closed. "I guess he went back to his own bed," Harry said distractedly.

Draco smirked suggestively as he raised his eyebrows at Harry. "Yeah, or someone else's."

"Shut _up!_"

S~S~S~S

The sun was shining high in the sky by the time Remus awoke from his recuperative sleep. He blinked the tiredness from his eyes and stretched his sore and aching muscles, which groaned and protested against the movement. He only realised he was not alone when he rolled over and saw Severus watching him, holding a cup of tea and a potion bottle in his hands.

Severus moved forward, a faint smile on his lips. He held out the tea and potion as if it were some sort of peace offering. "I figured you could use some tea and a nice Pepper-Up Potion to start the day," he said as he passed the two items off.

Remus sat up and graciously took the tea and potion smiling warmly at the Potions Master. "Thank you, Severus. How long have I been out?" he asked as he took a cautious sip of the warm tea.

"Not long; it's ten in the morning still. I have an errand I need to run, so if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on the boys?"

Remus lowered the cup of tea and downed the Pepper-Up, feeling the effects starting to take hold almost immediately. "Is it safe for you to be leaving, Severus? Surely Voldemort has people searching for you now," Remus said. He tried to keep the worry out of his voice, but found he was unsuccessful as the Potions Professor gave him a placating smile.

"I'm sure he does, Remus, but I wasn't a spy for all this time without knowing the best concealment charms. Truth is, I've been using my mother's old wand since mine was taken from me, but her magical strengths were so much different from mine that it barely works for me. I'm afraid I'll have to pay old Ollivander a visit and buy a new one, more suited for my magical abilities. That way I can pass this one off to Draco; I'm almost sure this one would work perfectly for him, as its properties are very similar to his old wand as well," Severus said as he held out his mother's wand to Remus to let him examine it briefly.

Remus looked the wand over for a few seconds before handing it back to Severus. He got out of bed and felt his muscles protest even further at being all the way stretched to accommodate his generous height. His grimace did not go unnoticed. "Well, as long as you stay hidden and safe, I'll gladly babysit the children," he acquiesced.

Severus smiled at the man, who unnervingly was still a couple of inches taller than him. "Why don't you take a hot shower to soothe those sore muscles, first? I'll leave when you're out and ready to watch the boys."

"Alright, thank you, Severus." There was a slightly awkward pause while the two men simply smiled shyly at each other. Remus finally took the initiative, knowing he would have to make all the moves as the Gryffindor in the 'relationship', and leaned down to gently press his lips against the slightly shorter man's.

Severus easily slid a hand up to tangle in the fine hairs at the back of Remus' neck, returning the pressure eagerly and, surprisingly, without any qualms this time. It felt good to just kiss Remus without feeling nervous or scared of what might happen afterwards. He had bravely set aside any room for uncertainty the night before. After what felt like days, Severus eventually pulled away, amused at the groan of protest from the werewolf. "Shower, Remus," he said with a soft chuckle, only slightly aware of how close they still were to each other.

Remus pouted theatrically before stealing another quick kiss and moving towards the wardrobe to find some clean clothes to change into after his shower. "Tease."

Severus just laughed as he left the room to wait for Remus in the living room.

S~S~S~S

"Did you _see_ that smile, Potter?"

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"Have you ever seen Snape smile so much before? He's obviously getting some; he's practically glowing."

"Urgh, stop it! I'm trying to eat here!"

"Boys, is something the matter?" Severus asked as he entered the kitchen to find a smirking Draco and a glaring Harry.

Draco looked up with innocent eyes at his godfather, his tell tale smirk gone almost immediately. "Of course not, Sev; we were just having a simple discussion about werewolf mating habits."

Severus promptly spit out the tea he had just taken a drink of as he spluttered in shock. He barely had time to start breathing again before the door opened again to reveal said werewolf.

Remus walked into the kitchen to find Severus spluttering, tea dripping down his front as his cheeks coloured slightly. He followed his line of vision and found amusement and horror on Draco's and Harry's faces respectively. "Did I miss something?"

Severus turned quickly to blush at Remus, his cup of tea abandoned on the table as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face and robes off, sending a pointed warning glare in the direction of his godson. "What? Oh, no, nothing – nothing at all. Well, I must be off, be back in a few." And with that he was quickly making his way to the fireplace, throwing in the floo powder and nervously shouting his destination.

Remus turned curious eyes onto Harry, who blushed furiously under his gaze and turned his eyes back to his plate of bangers and mash. "Well, good morning, anyways," Remus said with a bemused expression as he took the seat across from Harry and beside Draco. He began to pile food onto his own plate, noticing the slight tension at the breakfast table. "So, Harry, how have you been getting on with Severus this summer?"

"Not as good as you are, apparently," Draco muttered under his breath as he held up the pitcher of pumpkin juice and nodded towards a glass, smiling at Remus. "Juice, Professor?"

Remus' fork had paused mid-way to his mouth as his heightened hearing caught the younger Malfoy's muttering. He willed himself not to blush as he agreed to the cup of juice. "Yes, please. And you may call me Remus, Draco."

Harry too had heard Draco's comment, and was currently slouching so far down in his chair that he looked as though he was trying to blend in with the wood. He realized that Remus was still expecting an answer, so he gathered his courage and straightened up once more. "It's been surprisingly easy to get along with him, actually. He's not near as snide as he usually is at school. I just hope he stays like this when term starts up again."

Remus beamed at Harry before taking a sip of his juice. "Yes, I was quite surprised with how gentle he's being with you. I've seen you two interact before, and I must say, I was a bit worried that you might be at loggerheads all summer. I'm glad to see he's eased up a bit. Severus has never been one to take things lying down, however, so it hardly surprises me that he's risen to the occasion."

Draco snorted into his cup of juice, managing to spray both Harry and Remus as he laughed raucously. He wiped his tears of mirth away as he tried to mop up the mess he made with a couple of napkins. "I'm s–sorry; I just think that Severus is a r–real asset to your c–current positions." This started a whole new round of guffawing as Draco slumped over the table, enjoying the onslaught of unintentional innuendos.

Harry blushed furiously as he tried to distract himself with more juice as Remus just fixed the giggling Slytherin with a bemused gaze. Living here with two teenagers was certainly proving to be more than Remus had bargained for.

S~S~S~S

Two hours later, Severus returned to the cottage to find Remus woefully asleep on Harry's bed, while Draco lay across his own with a Potions journal and some chocolates that he had convinced Remus to give him. Harry was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Harry at, Draco?" Severus asked in a whisper as he sat down his bag of shopping beside Draco's bed.

Draco looked up at his godfather and smirked when he saw the man sneaking a glance at the sleeping werewolf. "He's taking a shower, supposedly. He's been in there for at least a half an hour, the heathen."

Severus chuckled lightly as he sat down on the corner of Draco bed and pulled the bag of shopping into his lap. "Ah, well, boys will be boys. I have some stuff for you."

Draco's curiosity piqued as he sat up, the Potions journal sliding forgotten to the other side of the bed. "Oh, really? Like what?"

Severus picked one of the bags up off the floor and held it out to Draco. It was full of new clothes and a nice pair of boots. Draco had been wearing some of Harry's clothes, resized to fit his taller frame and leaner body. "It's not very much, but I figured you could use some clothes of your own before school started up again."

Draco immediately began pulling the clothes out, examining the nice button down shirts and simple trousers as well as the soft cloak and emerald green robes. He studied the boots and ran a hand over the leather appreciatively as he smiled at his godfather. "Thanks, Sev. I was getting pretty sick of wearing Harry's clothes. Boy dresses like the heathen he is."

Severus rolled his eyes affectionately as he pulled his mother's wand out of his pocket and held it out to Draco. "You're very welcome. Now, wands are quite expensive these days, Dragon. That is why I have been using my mother's old wand since my own was taken from me. However, it just wasn't working well for me, so I had to buy myself a new one. I think, though, that Eileen's wand will work wonderfully for you. Give it a try," Severus insisted with an encouraging smile.

Draco's mouth was hanging open as he fingered the cherry coloured wand almost lovingly. "But Sev, this was your mum's wand! I can't take this from you," Draco protested as he tried to press the wand back into his godfather's hand.

"Nonsense, Draco. My mother obviously does not need it in the afterlife, and it is too pliable for me to use accurately. It's ten and a quarter inches, cherry hawthorn with a unicorn tail-hair core. It's almost identical to your old wand, so I figured it would work great for you. Go on, try it," Severus said, his tone suggesting that he would not take no for an answer.

Draco raised the wand hesitantly and pointed it at a book lying on the coffee table. "_Wingardium Leviosa!" _with a simple flick of his wrist, the book was floating up into the air, Draco moving it around easily with his new wand. He let the book drop back to the table with a loud bang, which earned him a glare from his godfather with a pointed look toward the sleeping werewolf. "Sorry. It feels just like my old wand! Thank you, Severus. I promise I won't break or lose it. Maybe I can get my own and give it back to you after awhile."

Severus smiled as he wrapped his arm around Draco in a one-armed hug, pulling the blonde close to him. "The wand is yours to keep, Draco. I wouldn't dream of asking for it back, though I appreciate that you'll take good care of it. Now, go use your new wand to make lunch," Severus said with an affectionate chuckle and a ruffle of Draco's hair.

"Sev! Not the hair, come on!" Draco whined in a long suffering voice. He surprisingly didn't put up a fight about making lunch, showing just how excited he was to use his new wand.

Remus had been awake since Draco had let the book fall unceremoniously to the coffee table, though he didn't make it know until Draco was in the kitchen. He sat up and smiled at Severus, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Sorry, I must have dozed off at some point. They didn't burn the place down, right?"

Severus smiled back and shook his head, trying not to notice how adorable the man looked with his haired all mussed and his eyes still glazed with sleep. "No, the cottage is still intact and thankfully not on fire. They're responsible for sixteen year olds; I wasn't really worried about them destroying the place so much as each other."

"Ah yes, that reminds me. Draco was having quite the laugh this morning after you left. He seemed to think I was completely unawares as to what he found so amusing, but I was quite in tuned to his muttering. You might want to remind him that I have heightened senses, especially the day after the full moon," Remus said with a smirk. He felt his stomach flip as he saw the blush stain the Potion Master's cheeks.

"Oh, and what was Mr. Malfoy saying that he thought you couldn't hear?" Severus asked, though he feared he already knew the answer from Draco's comment earlier that morning in the kitchen.

"Oh, just badly veiled sexual innuendoes about us, that's all."

Severus blushed even more as Remus chuckled at him. "Merlin's balls; that kid is _definitely_ a Slytherin. I imagine Harry was mortified at the very idea?" Severus asked in amusement, despite his embarrassment.

"Quite, though I did ignore it and let him carry on as if I were a complete dunce. Cheeky bugger, your godson, and a very wild imagination, too," Remus said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He couldn't help but marvel in Severus' ever-darkening blush. Frankly, it was very endearing.

"Oh, I can imagine, growing up in a household with Lucius and Narcissa. Kinkiest Slytherins I ever knew."

Before Remus could reply, Harry stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed and his hair damp from his recent shower. "Oh, you're back," Harry said, stating the obvious as he looked over at Snape.

"Yes, I am. I have something for you as well, Harry. Seeing as how I got you nothing for your birthday, I figured you could consider this a late gift, if you will." Severus pulled out something wrapped in velvet from his bag of shopping. He used his new wand to enlarge the item, and the velvet fell away. A glossy new Hogwarts trunk sat before Harry, the initials H.J.P. were embellished on the front of the fine wooden trunk.

Harry's jaw dropped open as he moved forward and kneeled in front of the shiny new trunk. His old Hogwarts trunk had been second hand and battered and beaten from his many journeys. He traced the silver lettering on the front with the tip of his finger, feeling the smooth finish of the cedar. "I...You didn't need to get me anything, sir...Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome, Harry. I know yours was unrecoverable from the wreckage and I figured you wouldn't mind a new one. I've spoken to Tonks and Kingsley while I was out; we've set a date for two weeks from today to get yours and Draco's school shopping taken care of. I thought I would save you the trouble of lugging a trunk around."

Harry looked up at the Potions Master, his eyes over-bright with emotion. "I love it, sir; it's beautiful," he whispered, not quite what else to say about such a lovely gift.

Severus smiled lightly at the teen before looking up and meeting Remus' tear-filled eyes. Remus sighed and mouthed 'Thank you' to the Potions Professor just as Draco walked back into the living room, completely unaware of the heart-felt moment taking place.

"Lunch is ready!"

S~S~S~S

It had been a quiet evening in the cottage, much like most other nights there. Even for teenagers in the prime of their adolescence, Draco and Harry were fairly reserved and quiet boys, who kept to themselves mostly. Severus couldn't help but think that the way both boys were raised, being reserved and out of the way was what probably kept them alive.

Severus squirmed in his sleep, his eyes flickering wildly from side to side as what he could only deem as a nightmare took over his dreaming mind.

_There was smouldering rubble all around him, his wand light faint amongst the still falling dust. He took a tentative step forward and raised his wand to widen the thin beam of light over the debris. He felt his breath clench in his chest as he spotted a pale, definitely effeminate hand poking out underneath a monstrous slab of dry-wall. As he bent down and clutched the dainty wrist to check for a pulse, he was almost faint with relief as he felt the lack of heart beat. It wasn't Harry, but he knew who it was. He couldn't help but feel satisfied at the moment of Petunia's death._

_There was no time to waste; who knew when the Death Eaters responsible would be back to check for anyone alive? Even though he didn't quite remember seeing it at the time, Severus could now see a dark pool of blood just feet from where Petunia's body lie buried, amongst the blood an enormously fat child who looked to be Harry's age. He didn't even bat an eye as he moved towards the creaking and haphazardly hanging staircase. His mind told him he already knew what he would find – Harry Potter, unconscious but mostly unscathed, but as he moved his wand over to where he knew Harry would be, there was a bloody mass of torn clothes and oddly angled limbs. _

_Severus fell to his knees, his wand clattering to the debris covered ground like an unimportant stick as his dark blue eyes stared hopelessly at Harry's torn and mangled body. He could hear his too-fast heartbeat thumping in his chest, which was tight from holding his breath. As he let out his breath, a strangled sob came with it, a cry of pain he had no idea he had in him. He leaned over the unsurprisingly small body and wiped the smears of blood from the boy's mouth and nose, his hand that held him up protesting as a sharp stab of glass entered his palm. He glanced down and saw Harry's wire glasses, shattered and bent._

_Ignoring his now bleeding palm, Severus placed his arms beneath Harry's rumpled body and lifted him into his arms as he stood, his wand lying forgotten on the ground. As he walked away from the dust and debris, carrying the teenager's body close to his chest, he became aware of the wetness on his cheeks. He paused in his march of mourning and looked towards the dark sky, tiny pinpricks of light marking where the stars lay far off in the Heavens. He could feel the bubbling of anger rising in his stomach, travelling through his chest, and didn't deny it release as he screamed into the night._

"NOOO!!!"

Remus sat bolt upright in bed as the scream echoed around the small room. His eyes adjusted quickly as he searched out the trembling and sweating Potions Master. "Severus, are you alright?" Remus asked as he made to get out of bed.

Severus just stared, letting reality soak in as his trembling subsided, but not fully. He blinked as he looked over at the werewolf, who had stood up and was moving towards him. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered into the darkness.

Remus frowned as he sat beside Severus on his bed, his body pressed close to the other man's on the narrow mattress. He leaned over and ran a hand through the Potions Professor's ruffled hair, making it even more unruly. It actually closely resembled Harry's hair before Severus put his usual charms on it. "It doesn't matter. Were you dreaming?" Remus asked in a whisper.

"Yes...Was more like a nightmare, actually." He finally came fully out of his reverie and felt distinctly like he was being smothered. Severus may have been privy to a few kisses and promises of more, but he was still a mostly private man and enjoyed his space when he was having a particularly difficult time of things. He pulled away from Remus and slipped out of the other side of the bed, frowning at the disappointed look on the werewolf's face. "I'm sorry, Remus; I just need to be alone for a bit, ok?" And with that, he left the room in nothing but his pyjama bottoms.

As he quietly entered the living room, Severus' gaze immediately sought out Harry, as if his mind needed consolingly and reassurance that, yes, he really had saved Harry on that night. The sleeping teen looked very calm and relaxed in his sleep, his face seeming younger without his glasses perched on his nose. Severus sat down carefully in the arm chair between the two boys' beds and curled his legs up underneath him as he watched the steady rise and fall of Harry's chest.

How strange it was, to feel this protective of a boy he had not so long ago loathed with a burning passion. Sure, he had Vowed to protect Harry long ago, before he had even met the boy, but that never meant he felt any sort of compassion for the wayward Gryffindor in the least. Only recently, after reflecting on everything the poor teen had been through in his short sixteen years, did Severus begin to develop and harbour a soft spot for him, if only a bit grudgingly. It was by a series of unfortunate events that he'd ended up being the one to rush to Harry's aid, but he did so willing – not just because of the Vow, but because he didn't have any desire to see the boy dead. Disliking someone and wishing them dead were two completely different things, and Severus knew this all too well, what with his ability to see the worst in people.

Now as he watched the frail and too-skinny teen sleep, he realized for the first time that he no longer really disliked Harry at all. When he thought deeply enough about it, the only emotions that came up in relation to Harry were gratitude for being so helpful, pity for all the hell he'd been through, and a sort of affection that he could no longer deny was distinctly fatherly in nature. It was almost exactly the same way he felt about his godson, Draco, though a little bit less intense as it hadn't had as much time to mature yet. Severus realized that, after this summer, nothing would ever be the same between himself and Harry, and the thought didn't bother him quite as much as he thought it would.

As he continued to listen to the symphony of soft snores and even breathing of his two charges, Severus let his eyelids droop closed and was asleep in seconds, his body curled extremely un-Snape like in his favourite armchair.

S~S~S~S

Harry groaned as the soft rays of sunlight poked and prodded at his closed eyelids. He knew it must be very early by the dim and orangish colour of the sunlight shining through the living room window. He rolled over so that his back faced the offending sunrise and let out a quiet gasp as his tired eyes fell on the Potions Master curled tightly in the armchair beside his bed. He was sleeping soundly, a few of his black locks rising up and down as his breath wafted through the hair covering his face. Harry hadn't ever remembered seeing Snape sleep so peacefully, though he'd seen him sleeping quite a few times already that summer.

He wondered vaguely why Snape was out here, curled uncomfortably – or so it looked – in an armchair when he could be sleeping in his own bed. Harry's first thought was that the man was watching over Draco as the Slytherin slept, but then he realized that Snape's body was turned towards his bed, not Draco's. It sent a surprisingly strong warm feeling through his veins at the thought of the Potions Professor watching guardian over him as he slept. He felt safe for the first time in a long time.

It was a while before Harry realized that Snape was awake and studying him quite as intently as he was studying Snape. Sitting up so that he could prop his head in his hand, he never took his eyes off the older man. "Morning, sir," Harry whispered, not wanting to wake Draco up.

Severus uncurled his limbs and sat in a more dignified position as he stared at the Gryffindor. He noticed then that Harry still referred to him as 'sir', while he had taken to calling the boy by his given name. "Good morning, Harry. Won't you call me Severus, even Snape if you'd like; something other than sir? It makes me feel old."

Harry chuckled lightly, placing his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggles out of respect for the still-sleeping Slytherin. He pulled his hand away after his chuckles subsided and contemplated his response. "Severus sounds too....official. And Snape is a bit disrespectful. Can I call you Sev like Draco does?" Harry asked hopefully. It felt the most comfortable rolling off his tongue, but he thought it might be too personal for the up-tight Potions Master.

Severus thought for a moment before nodding. "That would be fine, I guess. Who would have thought _you'd_ be concerned with being disrespectful when addressing _me_? Just don't start calling Draco 'Dragon'," Severus teased with a wry grin.

"I'll flay you alive if you even think about it, Potter," came a muffled voice from the vicinity of Draco's bed. Both Harry and Severus laughed openly.

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**A/N:** Please, please, PLEASEEE review and let me know what you think! I'd love some suggestions and comments about the story so far. The next chapter is going to be much longer, I assure you. Thanks for reading!


	10. So Emotional

**A/N:** I want to give a big shout out to _Utena-Puchiko-nyu_, who sent the 100th review for Never Alone! Woo hoo! I'm so excited that this story is getting so much recognition and feedback! Please keep reading and reviewing, it keeps me going! On another note, I received a flame for making Remus gay and called an imbecile, my knowledge of the series questioned. Obviously this person doesn't get the way AU fiction works, so I will laugh it off and encourage people to send reviews to help cheer me up!

* * *

**Ch 10.  
So Emotional**

"What do you mean? You're not going to teach me anymore?" Harry asked as he closed the book he had been reading mere moments before.

Severus sat down on the couch beside Harry and sighed resignedly. He had been thinking about this a lot over the past couple of days, but as the subject was broached during dinner that night, Severus could not avoid it any longer. "You see, Harry, after having _Cruciatus _used on you so many times, nerve damage starts to occur – not just of the body, but of the mind. Voldemort ravished my mind with impractical force as he Legilimized every last ounce of truth out of me that he could. With the amount that I struggled and the important information under lock and key, it's a wonder I didn't lose my mind completely. I'm lucky, very lucky, but that does not mean there was no damage done. My mind is simply much too weak to handle trying to delve into yours and teach you how to block more accurately and firmly. It is not without regret that I tell you this."

Harry frowned but nodded his understanding of Snape's long-winded speech. "So, I guess I'll just have to make do with what you've taught me so far and practise on my own. I'm getting better, I really am. I just feel better having you there to help me."

"Well, there is one other person that could help you. Remus has informed me that he's horrible at Occlumency, so he won't be able to help, but Draco is a very good Occlumens as well as Legilimens. He was taught from a very young age through a combination of his father's instruction and my own. If I can persuade him, he would be an excellent replacement for my teaching you," Severus explained, already dreading the sceptical look that was on Harry's face.

"Well...I'm not so sure I want Draco to have access to my mind, with all due respect. I know he's your godson, Sev, but that doesn't mean I automatically trust him. I'm sorry, I just...I can't trust him blindly like that. With you, I've always had some sort of trust in you, but not with Draco," Harry felt slightly guilty by saying it, but he couldn't quash the feelings of mistrust that sprung up at the idea.

Severus sighed as he leaned back against the couch. He knew what Harry's reaction would have been, yet he still didn't have any other solution. Harry had been improving drastically before Severus had been detained by the Dark Lord, but he still wasn't as good as he could be. He wanted to help Harry, but the boy would need to stop being so stubborn. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Severus that just might solve this problem.

"What if I made Draco take a Wizard's Oath not to discuss what he may or may not see while teaching you? Would that make you feel comfortable enough to have him help you? I know that it's hard to trust someone you've harboured ill feelings for after so long, but it's not impossible; look at us. I don't believe Draco is anymore a threat to you than Remus or myself. He can help you, Harry," Severus implored. This was too important to just let Harry give up that easily.

Harry still had a sceptical expression on his face as he stopped to think about what Snape had said. He didn't really think Draco would dig for his secrets and run to Voldemort with them, but the years of ill-will towards each other still made him wary of giving access to his mind. If he really thought hard about it, Harry knew that he could already block his mind enough to keep Draco from seeing anything Harry didn't want him to. Draco would help him strengthen those shields; he really wouldn't be entering Harry's mind at all. That thought brought him little comfort, but comfort at least.

"Would he agree to an Oath?" Harry asked grudgingly. He would humour the Potions Master, even though he highly doubted Draco would agree to any of it.

Severus let out a soft sigh of relief as Harry finally seemed to give in. "I'm sure he'll put up a fight, but I'm very good at persuading people to do what I want."

Harry snorted derisively as he tossed his book onto the coffee table. "I'm sure you are, but Draco is very good at being a stubborn prat, so good luck."

Draco glared at Harry as he used his wand to dry his wet hair. He had been taking a shower before walking into the sitting room in time to here Harry's last statement. "Oh how touching, Potter. Would you like a declaration in return or are my feelings pretty much clear to you?"

"Boys, that's enough! Draco I need to speak with you about something. Come, join me in the kitchen," Severus snapped as his patience started to wane already. This would be a long night, he could feel it already.

Draco grimaced as he grudgingly followed his godfather into the kitchen. He guessed that this little chat would have something to do with Severus grilling him with questions about where he'd been for the last month. He vowed to himself to never talk about it and would gladly obliviate the memories completely if he could. As he sat down at the kitchen table across from Snape, he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

"I've already told you; I don't want to talk about it. I'm here, I'm alive – the rest doesn't matter anymore."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in a pray for patience as he tried to reel in his already simmering temper. "Draco, as much as we still need to discuss your whereabouts over the last month, that is not what I brought you in here to talk about. Make no mistake, however; we _will_ have that discussion soon and you _will_ answer my questions _honestly_," Severus said in a low voice, purposefully dragging out the last word as a warning and a scare tactic. He knew how to strike fear in the hearts of children, especially one he'd helped in raising.

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat, already terrified of how far his godfather was willing to go to get the information he wanted. "Then what exactly do you want?" he asked with a sneer. He usually would be more respectful towards Snape, but he was feeling a bit insecure and indignant after the threat.

Severus glared pointedly at his godson. "Watch your tongue, child. I can still punish you like I did the summer before your fourth year if you're not careful," Severus hissed with a sneer of his own. Draco was just feeding him ways to intimidate him; he'd be nice and softened up by the time Severus actually told him what he wanted from him. Such was the way of manipulating people, especially easily frightened Slytherins.

Draco shuddered as he remembered that punishment very clearly. He wasn't even fourteen yet, and he had opted to spend an entire summer with his godfather to help improve his potions skills. Severus had a few house rules that had to be strictly followed, or there'd be hell to pay. One, no entering his lab without him. Two, no brewing any unauthorized potions, especially without him keeping watch. Three, no underage magic, even if Draco _was_ allowed to use it at the Manor. Simple, really, but Draco had never been one to follow rules.

He'd had a brilliant idea for an experimental potion one day while Severus had gone out to run a few errands. Draco had set about making this potion, using many of Severus' rare ingredients to create the concoction. After blowing up Severus' most expensive cauldron and half of the potions lab completely, Draco had broken yet another rule by using his magic to help clear up and hide the mess he had made. When Severus returned home and found Draco in the lab, he took one look at his half destroyed lab, and the wand held shakily in Draco's hand and promptly blasted a hole through the ceiling in his anger, opting not to blast a hole through Draco instead. Draco had expected a rather fantastic beating after that, but instead, Severus made him rebuild the lab _by hand_, and pay for the materials and destroyed potions ingredients with his own generous allowance from his parents.

That part was nothing. There had been one really rare ingredient that Draco had destroyed that was near impossible to find and extremely expensive; the venom of an Ituri Rhinoceros Viper. Despite being a Slytherin and proud of it, Draco _hated_ real snakes and was terrified of touching them. Severus had forced him to collect the venom of over twenty-five conjured snakes by hand. He'd been bitten three times and had to take an immediate antidote, otherwise he would have died within seconds. Since then, Draco had been even _more_ terrified of snakes.

Draco had the decency to look sheepish as he squirmed in his chair. Severus always had a way of hitting his nerves and it drove him crazy. "Yes, sir. Sorry."

Severus nodded once in acceptance before conjuring two cups of tea and some biscuits. "I have a favour to ask you. Before I tell you what it is I require of you, let me remind you of a few very important things. I have not been loyal to the Dark Lord for many long years now, nor will I ever be again. I no longer support his ideas, and I have learned from my mistakes. Your father has been in Azkaban now for nearly three months, and the Dark Lord has no intentions for releasing him. He is being punished for his failure at the Ministry. You mother was murdered under the Dark Lord's command by your Aunt while he watched. You were meant to be killed as well, but the Dark Lord made the lucky mistake of letting Bellatrix have you as a pet. In the Dark Lord's eyes, even Purebloods are expendable, as long as it helps him succeed. You are essentially an orphan now, under my care as my legal charge. For all intents and purposes, you are my son now, and I have legal rights over you. I care about you and will do everything in my power to keep you safe in this war." Severus paused to take a long drink of his tea, fully aware of the emotions flickering across Draco's pale face.

"Now, what I'm asking of you is as much a favour to me as it is to Harry. The war could very well depend on this." Severus let it all sink in as he sipped leisurely at his tea. Potions weren't the only things he was a Master of.

Draco swallowed hard as panic began to rise in his throat. What on Earth could Severus possibly ask of him that was so damn important, and what did it have to do with Potter? Draco had pretty much already agreed to himself to do whatever it was Severus needed, but he needed to know what was to be expected of him before he would agree to do it for Snape.

"What exactly do you need from me, Sev?" Draco asked, trying but failing to sound calm and uncaring.

Severus hid his satisfied smirk behind his tea cup. He knew he'd be able to persuade his godson, even if it was by guilt. "I've been teaching Harry Occlumency on and off for two years now and he is almost ready to be classified as proficient. I was hoping to keep tutoring him to strengthen his shields, but I'm just not in any sort of condition to go delving into other's minds. This is what I need from you Draco; help Harry strengthen his shields since I cannot."

Draco let out a sigh of relief. The way Severus was building up to it, Draco was convinced that he'd have to cross a burning bridge carrying Potter on his shoulders or something. "That's it? I bet you want me to teach him Legilimency afterwards, too."

"No, actually. Harry happens to be a natural Legilimens, so there's no need to teach him," said Severus, unfairly baiting the boy but enjoying it nonetheless.

Draco's jaw dropped as he knocked over his cup of tea. "What?! That's so unfair! Why does he always get the magical gifts? He's a Parselmouth, a natural Legilimens, a bloody brilliant Quidditch player, and he's the most famous Wizard in Britain – "

"Starting a fan club, are we?" Severus sneered unpleasantly. "Unfair or not, Harry has an incredible ability, but his Occlumency skills could use a bit more work. It is essential that he learns to close his mind. However, he has some qualms about allowing you into his mind unguarded."

Draco snorted as he cleaned up the spilled tea with his wand and conjured some fresh tea. He snagged a biscuit and nibbled on it a bit. "Oh he lets you into his mind no problem, but he's wary of letting me in? Maybe he needs his head examined, because as far as I know, you were the spy, not me. The Dark Lord had much easier access to your mind than mine."

Severus nodded in agreement. Draco was right, Severus was much more susceptible to releasing Harry's secrets when he was still serving Voldemort, but that was over now. "I am much more skilled at Occlumency than you, Draco. Besides, He no longer has access to my mind, but Harry is another story. I need you to take a Wizard's Oath to never reveal to anyone the things you may see in Harry's mind. Will you do that?"

Draco sighed exasperatedly, but nodded resignedly. "I don't really think I have much choice either way, but I'll agree to it if it makes the prat feel better."

Severus let out a frustrated sigh but kept his temper in check. "We should get it done and over with now so that you can begin working with Harry. It is of the utmost importance that he learns quickly and properly, especially before Hogwarts starts up again."

Draco gave Severus an appraising look as he sipped at his tea. He certainly was making a big deal out of teaching Harry Occlumency. Draco felt like he was definitely missing something. "Why is it so important, Sev? What don't I know?" he asked, not really expecting an answer – at least not an adequate one.

"That is not my secret to tell, Draco. Let's just say that there are very valuable things to be obtained from Harry's mind, and it would be in the best interests of everyone if he learned to keep those things private. You are not opposed to taking the Oath now?" Severus asked as he stood and let his robes cascade dramatically. He didn't even have to try to look menacing anymore; his robes simply did it for him.

Draco sighed deeply, abandoning his half-nibbled on biscuit. Something occurred to him then as he vaguely wondered what was so damn important in Saint Potter's head. "Does this Oath work in reverse? What if he slips into my own mind, since he's a bloody natural Legilimens? I have stuff I'd prefer to keep private as well."

Severus shrugged as he opened the double hinged door to the kitchen and waited for Draco to follow. "That is up to Harry to decide, so you'll have to ask him about it. I'm sure he'd be willing to have the same discretion with you as you will have with him," Severus assured his godson.

Draco rolled his eyes and he preceded his godfather into the sitting room, where he immediately spotted Potter reading a Quidditch magazine with his legs curled up comfortably on the couch. "Don't underestimate his ability to be a prat, Sev."

"Trust me, I don't," Severus said with a slight smirk as he nodded his head towards Harry to encourage Draco.

Draco grimaced as he gave an exasperated sigh. "Potter," he waited for Harry to look up at him. "I'll take a Wizard's Oath and teach you, but you have to take an Oath as well," Draco demanded, still half expecting Harry to say no to the Oath.

Harry flipped his magazine closed and threw it onto the coffee table. "Ok, that seems fair enough. Same Oath as the one you're taking?"

"Yes, no blabbering about things you see in my mind," Draco said, highly unnerved at just how easy that had been. Stupid too trusting Gryffindor, no wonder the fool needed to learn Occlumency.

Harry nodded in agreement, watching Snape, who was sitting in the arm chair across the room, out of the corner of his eye as he rubbed at his ribs as though he was in pain and trying to hide it. Harry looked back over at Draco, who was looking at him expectantly as though waiting for Harry do something. "Sorry, hold on just a minute."

Severus looked up as he felt eyes on him and realized Harry was standing over him, his arms crossed and a disapproving look on his face. "Can I help you, Potter?" he asked, his usual snide tone back in place.

"Are you in pain again? You know Remus said to take a pain potion immediately if you're feeling uncomfortable," Harry chastised, feeling more like the adult in their odd relationship at the moment.

Severus glared up at the teen with much venom as he moved his hand away from his aching ribs just to spite him. "I know what Lupin said, Potter. If I am in pain, I will do something about it. I'm not an invalid; I don't need you watching over me like some mother hen. Besides, you're just a child," he snapped, feeling more and more annoyed with having so many people around constantly. He was so used to being at Hogwarts this time of year, alone in the dungeons preparing for the next term to begin.

Harry felt himself bristle at Snape's words, realizing just then that this was still the snarky Potions Master and entertaining the idea that the man had changed was foolish indeed. "You didn't mind that I was a '_child_' before when I was helping Lupin heal all of your wounds after Voldemort had at you. Forgive me for trying to help." Harry turned around and nodded his head towards the kitchen door as a signal to Draco before entering the kitchen himself.

Draco gave his godfather a concerned look before following Harry into the kitchen, leaving the Potions Professor alone in the sitting room with a very sour expression on his face. He sat down in the chair across from Potter, noticing how very pale and pinched the Gryffindor was looking. He felt an alien sense of pity for him that he tried to squash immediately. "Do you know how to do the Oath, Potter, or am I going to have to go face the Dragon and ask him how to do it?"

Harry smirked and shook his head as he pulled his wand out and set it idly on the kitchen table. "I'm already facing the Dragon." He let Draco's annoyed expression bring him pleasure before continuing, "And I already know how to do it. The person taking the Oath has to hold out their wand, handle first as a sign of surrender, to the person their taking the Oath for. You have to repeat the Oath's conditions and then the person accepting the Oath has to touch the tip of their wand to the handle of the taker's. Get it?"

Draco thought about it for a few seconds before nodding. "So I'd hold out my wand, handle towards you, and say...what, exactly?" Draco asked, not quite sure if there was anything specific he had to say to make the Oath work.

"Hmm...Well, the conditions of both of our Oaths are the same, right? So I was going to say 'I solemnly swear to an Oath of Silence regarding what I may or may not see in your mind during our Occlumency lessons.' Sound good?" Harry asked, coming up with that just now, even though he passed it off as being planned out previously.

Draco nodded his agreement as he pulled out Severus' mother's wand and fingered it nervously for a second. "You first, just so I can see how to do it once before I try," Draco insisted as he twirled the unfamiliar wand around.

Harry shrugged as he lifted his wand and held it up, handle out towards Draco. "I solemnly swear to an Oath of Silence regarding what I may or may not see in your mind during our Occlumency lessons."

Draco lifted his wand and touched the tip of it to Harry's, feeling a slight sense of relief as both of their wands glowed for a few seconds before fading again. He took a deep breath before turning his wand handle towards Harry and repeating the Oath. As Harry touched his wand tip to Draco's the glow emanated once more before fading off, making the room seem a bit darker afterwards.

"Right, so we can start now if you'd like. I pretty much know how to do it all, but my shields are still weak to outside penetration, at least when Snape is trying to break through. I keep practising, but he attacks me at random times and always catches me off guard. How do I make sure I can bring up my shields without any warning?"

Draco already knew the answer to that question immediately, but his curiosity was urging him to ask a question if his own, first. "Why is it that you need to learn Occlumency so bad, Potter? If I'm going to teach you, I want to know what I'm protecting you from," Draco said, making sure he didn't sound too demanding.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at the Slytherin, finding it hard to believe that Draco had agreed to this without knowing why he needed Occlumency. "Snape didn't tell you?"

Draco shook his head, feeling annoyed that even Potter had expected Snape to spill the beans to him. "No. I asked, but he told me it's 'not my secret to share, Draco,'" he mimicked his godfather's drawling tone quite easily, as he usually shared the same tone.

Harry frowned, wondering at Snape's odd behaviour. "Hmm. Well, I'll tell you, but I want you to keep this to yourself, like it's part of the Oath, alright? It's very important that none of the wrong people find out." He waited for Draco's nod of agreement before steadying himself to explain.

"When I was a baby and Voldemort attacked me, his failed Killing Curse 'marked me as his equal', unwittingly transferring some of his powers to me. When this happened, it formed a sort of link between us, a mental connection of sorts. He had no idea of this connection, as it's mostly one-way, and never knew I was seeing into his mind in my sleep, feeling his strongest emotions at random times, until last year when he was possessing his pet snake Nagini. She attacked Ron Weasley's dad, and I was inside the snake's mind _with _Voldemort when it happened. My panic, combined with the strange occurrence of being inside Voldemort's mind when he possessed the snake, made him realize that I was there. Dumbledore doesn't believe that he realizes just how long I had access to his mind, that the instance with Nagini was the first time, but now that he does know that the connection is there, he'd most definitely use it to his advantage."

Draco stared at Potter, dumbfounded by what he was hearing. He couldn't imagine being _inside_ the mind of the Darkest Wizard of their time and shuddered at the mere thought. He'd known from the stories he'd heard over the years, as well as strange rumours from his father's 'friends', that the Dark Lord had taken a special interest in Potter, but he never really knew why, other than the legendary failed Killing Curse sixteen years previous that robbed the Dark Lord of his body, making most everyone believe he was gone for good.

"No wonder you're a natural Legilimens, then."

Harry's brow creased at this seemingly non sequitur thought. "Pardon?"

"Well, it all makes sense, doesn't it? I've always wondered why you seemed to have heightened abilities compared to the rest of us at school. You pick up spells quicker than everyone else, you're good at Defence and probably Offense as well, you're a Parselmouth, and you're really good at Quidditch. It just makes sense now; it is borrowed magical ability combined with your own powers that make you better at everything." Draco sounded a bit too gleeful about this discovery than he should have been, but he couldn't help but feel justified in his jealousy now.

Harry scoffed as he glared lightly at the blonde. "You can stop stroking your wounded ego, Malfoy. Yes, the Parselmouth, learning spells quickly and even the natural Legilimens probably has something to do with the extra powers from Voldemort, but my Quidditch skills did not come from that old snake."

"How do you know that? He could have – "

"He didn't. Tom Riddle didn't play Quidditch while at Hogwarts, nor any other time. I acquired my Quidditch skills from my father, actually, as well as working on them on my own," Harry said, clearly offended at the thought of only being good at Quidditch because he had extra magical powers provided by Voldemort.

Draco frowned slightly but didn't comment on that any further. "So, how could the Dark Lord use this connection to his advantage?"

Harry should have seen that question coming, but the feeling of iron guilt dropping suddenly into his stomach made his blood run cold. He swallowed hard at the lump that formed in his throat as he prepared to relive the worst day of his life. "He already has, actually. Of course you know about the Ministry fiasco, considering it's what put your father in jail. What you probably don't know is why I was ever there in the first place."

Draco stiffened as his expression turned stony. "Yes, I know a few details about it, but I never did hear the full story."

"Well, you still won't, but I can tell you the part that concerns why I must learn Occlumency. He implanted a false vision using the connection, making me believe he had my godfather at the Ministry and was torturing him. I went after my godfather only to be fooled; my godfather was safe at his home until he learned that I had been lured to the Ministry. I lost my godfather that night because I couldn't tell the difference between dreams and reality. I need to be able to protect myself and others from letting it happen again. So, to answer your question, you're protecting me and everyone else from Voldemort's manipulations. Still agree to teach me?" Harry asked, almost hoping Draco had changed his mind after all.

Draco let his anger slip away, knowing nothing could be done now about his father. Besides, deep down, he knew his father belonged in Azkaban. "Of course I still agree to teach you. I simply wanted to know why; I think I'm entitled to that, at least."

Harry shrugged as he rolled his wand back and forth across the wood surface of the table in an annoyed fashion. "I guess, just remember that all of this is included in the Oath alright?"

Draco nodded his agreement, positive that no one would believe him if he bothered to tell anyone anyways. "So, back to your question, then. In order to be able to call forth a block with no warning is simple really; always have your mind blocked. Even if you have the weakest of shields up, it's much easier to strengthen these shields when you feel the first signs of outside penetration instead of trying to build the block from nothing. It takes awhile to get used to constantly blocking your mind, but once you know how it's fairly simple to keep it up. What are the seven signs of outside penetration?"

Harry took a moment to think before holding up seven fingers to count them off. "Interrupted concentration, relapse of memory, foreign emotions, lack of blinking, sense of foreboding, quickly shifting thoughts, and strain on your powers."

Draco nodded, finding himself impressed with Harry's obvious knowledge. "The first sign, as you listed them in correct order, is an interruption in your concentration. There is a sense, something that cannot be adequately explained, that magical beings possess, telling them that there is something lurking in their mind that should not be there. That feeling, often described as a break in privacy, is what sets off the alarm bells that something isn't right. The second sign, reliving memories and/or thoughts without recalling them yourself, is the obvious sign that you're being Legilimized." Draco stood up and began pacing, his wand held loosely at his side. He'd done this before, teaching a few fellow house mates the skill while at Hogwarts.

"With you, the circumstances may be a bit tweaked. As you must know, most Legilimency requires eye contact. However, if the Dark Lord can see into your mind from miles away, that rule obviously doesn't apply, making things a bit more complicated for you when trying to pull up a block. Most people have the advantage of a warning, which gives them at least that split second to prepare their shields, but you do not get that luxury. For you, I think that inner sense of knowing something is there that shouldn't be, and your admitted sense of foreign emotions are the strongest two signals you should focus on. With a constant block, at that first sign of outside penetration, the shield can quickly be strengthened to keep it out. It takes much more power to pull up a block from nothing than to strengthen a weak, constant shield."

Harry took this all in, almost forgetting who was telling him all this as he never thought Draco would know this much about anything, let alone Occlumency and Legilimency. He was starting to feel nervous with Draco pacing like that, and could almost feel an impending attack. Just as a precaution, he pulled up a weak block and held it, as thought waiting for Draco to attack his mind. Sure thing, the blonde turned quickly and caught his eye, muttering the spell quickly. Harry immediately concentrated on his shield, making the form stronger and actively pushing Draco out.

Draco blinked and broke the spell, lowering his wand. "Merlin, Potter. I knew you learned fast, but I _just_ told you what to do. How'd you know I was going to try that?" he asked in an annoyed voice.

"I've been learning Occlumency from Snape; paranoia is second nature. He's pulled that one so many times, it was pretty predictable. I used a weak shield at first, but as soon as I saw you turn with your wand up, I strengthened it," Harry explained, feeling slightly accomplished already. "So how do I maintain that weak shield? I usually have to concentrate for quite a bit to keep the shield up for long periods of time. It's distracting, really."

Draco sat back down across from Harry and slumped in his seat, feeling a little defeated by Harry's quick thinking. "That's the hard part. It'll take practice and a bit of getting used to, but once you get it down, it becomes much easier. Snape has tried giving you menial tasks while blocking, correct? It's just like that, but you never let it down, even in your sleep."

Harry nodded his understanding of that, knowing very well that he had to maintain his block while sleeping. "That's the main reason I had to start learning Occlumency. Your mind is weakest while you're asleep, making yourself an easy target. I kept 'dreaming' I was seeing into Voldemort's mind because I was most vulnerable while I was asleep. I can keep the block up while sleeping, that's as long as I can hold it before my concentration wavers. I kind of think I get what you mean with keeping the block up constantly though. That's why Snape seems so emotionless all the time, huh, because he's always blocking his mind from external situations, including emotions?"

Draco nodded, again impressed that Harry even knew that much. "That's part of it, though blocking certain emotion from breaking through is far more advanced than constant blockage. You'll get there eventually I'm sure, but one thing at a time."

"I don't want to get there, to be honest. I'd rather seem emotional than emotionless," Harry countered, remembering how he always felt that Snape seemed heartless in the way he never let his emotions show. Draco did it most of the time as well. Maybe it was a Slytherin thing, but Harry didn't fancy the idea of seeming heartless. Wasn't that what Dumbledore kept pounding into his head, anyways? That his ability to love was the power he held against Voldemort? So why would he suppress the one weapon he had ready access to?

"Emotions are a sign of weakness, Potter. Letting the enemy know your state of emotion gives them an advantage over you. It lets them know exactly how to push your buttons and what affects you the most simply by reading your emotions. They can manipulate you without ever having to enter your mind at all. You're handing the Dark Lord weapons by expressing anger, sadness, panic, distress, even a sense of affection for someone else. They can all be used against you, but I'm sure you've already learned as much," Draco said snidely, trying to make the stubborn Gryffindor realize he was wrong in this. He was feeling a bit stung as well, as he often blocked his emotions as well. Maybe Potter thought him heartless as well.

Harry steadfastly disagreed with this notion of suppressing emotions. "There is a difference between letting your emotions affect you and blocking your emotions completely. I can be scared out of my skull and still be able to mask that pretty well. With Snape, he blocks _himself_ from feeling scared, he doesn't allow himself to feel it, let alone express as much. I won't allow myself to become cold and distant like he is, no matter how much danger I am in."

Draco and Harry looked towards the door as the sound of a cloak brushing the ground met their ears. Snape was standing in the doorway, his expressionless face a fine example of their current conversation. Both teens could feel a sense of foreboding coming from the Potions Master and knew instantly that he was incensed as well as a bit stung. Surprising, considering his face still stayed his emotionless mask.

"You're right, Potter, masking emotions and suppressing them are two very different things. However, the difference between needing to protect _yourself_ from your own emotions and suppressing them out of ill will are also two very different things. It is not for you to decide which is which, nor is there a way to detect that difference. Seemingly heartless or not, I do what I do in the interests of protecting not just myself, but others such as the both of you. Cold and distant is far better than weak and emotional."

Feeling properly chastised, Harry simply nodded his understanding as he dropped his eyes to the table, not wanting to face Snape any longer. There was obviously more to the man than Harry knew, but it wasn't his fault that he was unaware, as Snape didn't allow Harry to know anymore about him. If he felt so misunderstood, maybe he should let up on suppressing his emotions for just one second and allow people to see that he was in fact human with fully working emotions and a just as easily-broken heart as the next person. Harry would not allow himself to feel sorry for Snape for getting himself into this mess; he had dug his own proverbial grave and he'd have to lie in it. That was the first and _only_ emotion Harry was willing to suppress.

S~S~S~S

Remus quietly exited his shared room and began to tiptoe to the kitchen for a small bite to eat. He hadn't been sleeping very well again, and his blackened emotions as of late had kept him from joining the others at dinner that night. He turned as he felt someone's eyes upon him. Harry was blinking at him in the dark, his face expressionless, eerily reminding Remus of the often expressionless face Sirius had acquired after many years of suppressing his emotions in Azkaban. He slowly walked over to the Gryffindor teen's bed and sat on the edge, peering thoughtfully at him. "Can't sleep either?"

Harry looked up at Remus and blinked, his concentration broken immediately. He cursed himself mentally as he sat up and rested against his pillows. "Yes and no. I'm trying to practise Occluding my mind constantly. So far I can only do it while I'm asleep, but the slightest distraction while I'm awake breaks my concentration and the block drops. It's frustrating."

Remus frowned sympathetically and reached a hand out to gently pat Harry's leg. "I'm sorry you're so frustrated, Harry, but I'm sure you'll learn soon enough. You've always been such a quick learner as I can remember from my teaching days."

Harry nodded, his frown deepening as he remembered what Draco had said about his knack for quick learning probably coming from Voldemort's powers within him. "I dunno if that's a good thing, though. I mean, obviously it's to my advantage, but what it cost to attain that skill definitely wasn't worth it."

Remus' brow scrunched in confusion as he curled a leg underneath him and got more comfortable, prepared to have a nice long talk with the obviously distressed boy – no, young man. "What do you mean by that, Harry?"

Harry sighed deeply as he looked away from Remus and stared out the single sitting room window, towards the ever twinkling stars in the inky black sky, the brightest one mocking him as his godfather's namesake. "The reason I pick up spells more quickly than my peers is because I have extra power; the power that Voldemort transferred to me as a baby. I have an unfair advantage, and it cost me my parents to receive that advantage. I just want to be normal, even if it means struggling to learn difficult spells and skills like everyone else in my year at Hogwarts."

Remus felt that familiar sadness grip his heart as he tightened his comforting grasp on Harry's leg subconsciously. "Oh Harry...It's not your fault that he attacked you and your parents when you were a baby. It's really not anyone's fault, but the person to blame is definitely Peter Pettigrew, not you. No one holds it against you that the attack on you as a baby provided you with stronger than normal magic," he tried to reassure the teen, knowing how heavy that guilt was and wishing he could ease it off of Harry's already overburdened shoulders.

"But they do. Kids at school, especially Slytherins, think I'm this big show off when I learn difficult spells ten times faster than everyone except Hermione. Draco does too, and he even knows _why_ I learn things so quickly. Whether it's their jealousy or envy or whatever it is, I don't want people to resent me for something I can't control. Sometimes I think it would be better to feign incompetence than let the other students see that I've mastered a spell much faster than everyone else."

Remus sighed heavily and moved to sit beside Harry, making the teen move over so he could comfortably sit on the bed alongside him. "Harry, it shouldn't matter where that extra power comes from. There isn't really any way to tell where your magic stops, and Voldemort's begins. It could very well be your own magical ability that helps you learn spells so quickly, not Voldemort's powers influencing your skills. You should never allow yourself to be discouraged by what others think. What matters is that your stronger than average magical ability and your penchant for quick learning are put to good use, and you are very humble – _beyond_ humble – about your incredible power. I have never known someone of your age to hold such amazing ability and still be able to keep your ego in check. Your father certainly failed in that department, and your mother even held her great skills over other's heads when it was necessary. But you, Harry, you actually punish yourself for being a powerful Wizard, and you shouldn't, because your greatness is determined not just by your magical abilities alone, but by how you use those abilities for good and not evil. You're an incredible young man, Harry, and James and Lily and Sirius would be so proud of you. I know I am."

Harry choked down a sob as he felt the stinging in his eyes turn to wetness on his cheeks. He turned and buried his face in Remus' dressing gown, leaning heavily against his chest. All the pent up emotions had finally broken through and he could no longer keep them in. If this is what it felt like to hold in emotions for so long and finally release them, Harry couldn't even imagine the type of breakdown Snape would have if he allowed himself to feel his emotions and outwardly express them.

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**A/N:** So this chapter is setting up some very important ground work for later plot developments, so pay close attention! On another note, I have created two different pictures as 'cover art' for Never Alone. Links to the pictures are on my profile, and I'm going to set up a poll to see which one all of you readers like better, so check them out and vote! I also would love some fan art, if anyone is willing to make me some!

**P.S.** I'm going to start posting little teaser previews of the next chapter at the end of each chapter!

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**Next in Ch 11. Hard Truths**

With his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open stupidly, Draco stared at Harry for long seconds before he realized Harry was pointing his wand at him. One glance into Harry's eyes and Draco could read the Obliviation spell forming on the tip of his tongue. He quickly pulled up his blocks and cast a shield charm around himself, glaring balefully at the Gryffindor. "Bloody hell, Potter! You were going to _Obliviate_ me? What's wrong with you?!"

Harry shot up to his feet and began pacing again, mentally berating himself for letting _that_ memory out so very easily. "I'm sorry! I just – you should _not_ have seen that memory! Dumbledore is going to kill me."

Draco let down the shield charm around him reluctantly, his wand still held firmly and ready to counter if Harry tried the memory charm after all. "Why on earth was it the first thing on your mind behind the shield if it's that important, then? Besides, I'm under Oath, you git! I can't tell anyone what I saw and heard even if I wanted to," Draco reminded the Gryffindor, his heart still beating quickly in his chest. He was still reeling from the information he had just found out about the foolishly proud teen still pacing the room tirelessly.


	11. Hard Truths

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Ok, so I know it's been a bit of a wait, but I have a valid excuse! I just recently moved AGAIN, but this time to a big, beautiful new house instead of a small, crappy apartment! I've been so busy packing and moving that I simple didn't have time for anything else, but things are getting settled now, I have finals in college this week, and then summer break begins! WOO HOO! So, I should have a bit more free time to write like the wind! So enjoy this chapter, reviews are welcome, wanted and appreciated, and I'll try harder to not make y'all wait so long for chapter 12!

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**Ch 11.  
Hard Truths**

Severus was finishing up a response to a past student requesting an internship when Remus finally awoke. He tapped the scrolled parchment to seal it and set it aside to be delivered later in the morning when the post owl came.

"Morning, Severus," Remus said as he crawled out of bed and walked over to the corner desk. He leaned down over the back of the chair until his face was level with the Potions Master's, soliciting a quick kiss from him before moving away to gather fresh clothes.

Severus stood with the scroll clutched in his hand, having already gotten dressed when he awoke nearly an hour previous. He felt a squirming feeling in his stomach as the werewolf stripped off his night clothes right in front of him and pulled on a dressing gown before entering the bathroom for a shower. Blinking away that scene, Severus entered the sitting room to find both teens still sleeping soundly.

As he entered the kitchen for an early breakfast, Severus reflected on what had happened the night before when he had walked in on a conversation about himself between Draco and Harry. He had been in a foul mood already due to his aching ribs and being admonished by Harry because of it. Hearing the Gryffindor speak as though he understood Severus' emotionless demeanour had sent him over the edge. He'd lost his temper with Harry, but even now he could not bring himself to feel guilty for what he said. He had been honest, and that's something he'd never feel guilty for, no matter how it affected others.

Remus entered the kitchen just as Severus was tucking into a plate of kippers and eggs. He looked refreshed and relaxed as he sat down across from the Potions Professor. He poured himself some coffee and stirred in a bit of cream and sugar before taking a careful sip.

"Harry was quite upset last night, apparently because of something Draco had pointed out to him. He told me that he believes his ability to learn spells quickly came not from his own talents, but from powers transferred to him from Voldemort." He paused as he took another sip of his rapidly cooling coffee, feeling slightly annoyed by the way Severus simple lifted an eyebrow and said nothing. "Perhaps he should keep things like that to himself. Harry does not need any more self doubt than he already has."

Severus let his fork fall to his plate with a clatter, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Perhaps Harry should get used to hearing such things, as they are true. He already knew that before; his fit of angst is more to do with his age than real distress, I assure you," he snapped, his breakfast plate sliding away from him as if afraid of his tone.

Remus put down his coffee mug a little too hard, making the brown liquid slosh over the side. He pushed his chair back and made to stand, but turned to look back at Snape instead. "Be that as it may, Severus, the boy is already overloaded with stress. Pointing out to him that he's not all he's cracked up to be is not going to help his confidence any, and I don't think that's too much to ask of Draco, or anyone else for that matter. He feels responsible for his parents' deaths. No sixteen-year-old should feel that kind of guilt."

"No, it's my job to feel that guilt, because it's my fault," Severus said quietly, looking away from Remus. It would always come full circle, he knew. He'd never escape what he did, no matter how guilty he felt or what he did to make up for it. Nothing could change the past and he would always be reminded of that.

Remus calmed down as he frowned at the brooding man across from him. Remus reached across the table and grasped one of Severus' still crossed arms gently. "That's not what I meant at all, Severus. It was not your fault either; you had no way of knowing. Like I told Harry last night – no one person is really at fault for any of it, but the person who should hold the blame is Peter Pettigrew; not you, not Harry, not anyone else."

Before Severus could respond, the kitchen door swung open to reveal Harry and Draco yawning, still in their night clothes. They paused as they took in the scene before them, neither saying a word as Remus reluctantly pulled his hand away from Snape and started on his own breakfast.

Severus stood from the table and pulled the scrolled parchment from his pocket, handing it off to Draco. "Give this to the post owl when it arrives. It's very important, so don't forget. I'm sure Mr. Warrington wouldn't appreciate it if you lost his internship papers."

Draco scoffed at the rolled parchment as he watched Snape leave the kitchen with a familiar billow of his long robes. He slumped down into a seat beside Harry and slammed the parchment onto the table, hoping to crinkle it. The parchment stayed prim and stiff however, due to a common charm to keep post safe during its journey. "I can't believe he's giving the internship to Warrington. He told me he wouldn't fill it until after I graduated."

Harry was pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice and pulling a plate of eggs towards him as he eyed the scroll curiously. "What internship?"

Draco glared at Harry, his expression plainly conveying that he thought Harry was a complete idiot. "Severus' potions internship, of course. He's allowed to have an intern every two years, and then writes amazing recommendations for his intern to get them a really good job in the potions world. He promised me the internship after I finished Hogwarts," Draco said with a sneer as he stabbed viciously at his kippers.

"Well, there _is_ two years still until we finish Hogwarts. You said he does it every two years, so you can still do it after you graduate, right?" Harry pointed out, not seeing the issue here.

That same look of disdain crossed Draco's face as he angrily ate his breakfast. "I said he's _allowed_ to do it every two years, not that he actually _does_ do it every two years. He'll usually take one intern every four to give himself time to recover from the last one. He finds them highly annoying and in the way, that's why he's very picky about who gets it. And it's almost always a Slytherin. Only one or two Ravenclaws have braved it."

"How come I've never heard of this internship before? Does he lock them away where no one can see, or have I just been that blind?" Harry asked, having never remembered seeing an assistant in potions classes before.

"Are you really this dumb, or is it just an act? I _just_ told you he only takes an intern every four years. His last intern finished in our first year. They don't stay the entire term, just long enough to garner Severus' approval and get their recommendations. Lena Reginald left in November of our first year, and she was never in classes with the lower levels, only advanced potions," Draco explained, his tone indicating that he thought Harry should know all of this already.

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's haughty explanation and continued eating his breakfast. "Is Snape the only Professor who does internships?" Harry asked, curious about that now. He didn't remember seeing any other Professors with assistants either, so he figured Snape must be the only one.

"Every Hogwarts Professor is allowed to have an intern every two years, but they only do it if they're specifically asked. Severus' potions internship is the only one anyone has applied to in the last ten years," Remus answered distractedly as he got up and let the post owl in through the small kitchen window.

"So I could do a Defence internship after I graduate?" Harry asked as he accepted the scrolled letters from Ron and Hermione from Remus' outstretched hand.

"I'd be very willing to give you an internship, Harry, but I thought you were planning to apply for Auror training directly after Hogwarts?" Remus said as he flipped open the _Daily Prophet_ and perused the front article. He closed the paper and looked around at Draco and Harry's stunned expressions before realizing what he had said.

"Oh, damn it! I wasn't supposed to say anything yet. Well, the kneazle is out of the bag now. Yes, I'm going to be teaching Defence again this year, and hopefully next."

"But...but that post is cursed, every teacher can only teach one term," Draco insisted vehemently.

"Ah, well, Dumbledore has found a snag in the curse and a possible solution. Every Professor can only teach Defence one term _in a row_. He thinks he's figured out this curse, meaning I'll be able to teach the next two years and possibly longer with no problems. If not, I can still teach this term at the least."

Harry finished off his breakfast and pushed his plate away as he drank down his juice. "So what's his solution, then?"

Remus smirked slyly as he tapped the scroll beside Draco's plate. "Best get Hedwig to deliver this if you want your skin intact."

"Bloody hell! Why didn't anyone remind me? Can I borrow Hedwig?" Draco asked Harry with a worried expression.

Harry toyed with the idea of saying no, but figured he owed it to Draco for his instruction in Occlumency. "Yeah, sure. Hold on though; let me write back to Ron and Hermione so she can take them all together."

"Yeah, alright. Anyways, what is this mysterious solution, Remus?" Draco asked as he turned back to the werewolf.

Remus cleared his throat as he pretended to be highly interested in an article about broom stick regulation. "If it is true that a Professor can only teach one term in a row, then Severus and I will switch off teaching Defence and Potions."

"WHAT!?" Harry exclaimed as he paused in his writing a quick response to his friends on the back of their own missives.

"Dumbledore is finally giving Severus the Defence position?" Draco asked, gobsmacked by the very idea. His godfather had long been bitter about his constantly refused application to fill the ever elusive Defence Against the Dark Arts post due to his past dabbling in the Dark Arts themselves. Draco was curious as to what had changed the old man's mind.

Remus shook his head as he pushed the paper aside. "No, not technically. Severus will only get the position should the curse render me from teaching more than one term in a row. There's still a possibility that I can teach continuously."

Harry rolled up his letters and whistled for Hedwig, who flew in through the kitchen window at his call. He gathered the three scrolls and attached them to the harness on her leg, giving her a thankful pat on the head and receiving a baleful hoot in return before she took off again into the bright sunlight. "Is that a very good idea, though? I mean, what if the curse is still in effect and it permanently injures you, or kills you even? I don't think it's very safe to test fate like that, Remus. You've already had the post once; who's to say you won't be struck by lightning just before the Welcoming Feast or something?" Harry asked, feeling his insides squirm uncomfortably at that thought. He couldn't bear to lose Remus too; it would just be too much for him to handle after everything he'd been through with Sirius in the past year.

Remus sighed as he thought this over, not liking Harry's worried tone or expression. "I trust Dumbledore, even if his judgement has been a little off as of late. If he says it's safe, then I'm willing to bet he's right. I'll be fine, Harry. I don't want you worrying yourself over this; that's precisely why I was supposed to keep it quiet."

Harry scoffed indignantly as he stood up and made his way to the door leading into the sitting room. "Yeah, just like everything else that gets kept from me, right, for my 'own protection'? I'm not an over emotional invalid, I can handle being told stuff of a sensitive nature. I'm not a bloody child anymore. I wish you would all realize that already, especially Dumbledore," Harry snapped as he pushed the door open with a little too much force and let it swing into the opposite wall.

Severus looked up calmly from the book he had been reading and glared at Harry, who looked to be in a foul mood as well. Great, today was going to be just lovely with everyone stuck in the cottage and in a tizzy about something or another. "I'd appreciate if you didn't destroy my home, Mr. Potter. Scream and shout to relieve your frustration if you must, but do not try to break my doors off their hinges," he drawled in a bored voice, though it carried a hint of threat in it.

Harry plopped down onto the couch across from Snape and crossed his arms over his chest, still fuming from what he saw as the injustice of it all. He started to feel a little niggling of guilt in his chest that he wished he could squash, but his morals told him to harbour it. "Sorry, sir..." Harry said quietly, wanting to rant and rave to _someone_. Well, Snape was present, calm and looked to not be busy – who better to rant and rave to? "I just hate being kept in the dark all the time, like I can't handle all the details or something because Dumbledore doesn't want me to worry my little head about seemingly meaningless things. Even though I'm the one who's supposedly supposed to get rid of the bastard, I'm not allowed to know a damn thing about what's being done to fight against Him! How the hell am I supposed to fulfil the Prophecy if I haven't got a clue about what the hell is going on or how the hell I'm supposed to do it?!"

Severus was looking at Harry over the top of his book, one eyebrow raised as he listened to the teen rant. It was no wonder the boy had such a temper if he kept it all locked up like that and released it all at once. Severus couldn't honestly say he knew how Harry felt, but he did know what it felt like to play a pawn in Dumbledore's games, which is exactly what he was doing to the boy now.

"One thing you must understand about Dumbledore is that he's a strategy type of player. All of this – the war, Voldemort, you and the Prophecy – it's all a part of a big elaborate game, and Dumbledore is like the Master Player. Everybody on the Light side are essentially pawns in Dumbledore's game plan, including you, though you're more like the Knight than a pawn like everyone else, and I guess you could call me the Rook." Severus noticed Harry's increasingly bemused expression and decided chess references were obviously lost on the boy.

"Anyways, Dumbledore does not play on a level playing field. He is above the rest, the puppet master essentially, and we must do our own individually appointed jobs for the collective effort to achieve the goal that Dumbledore has set for us. You are not the only one who is often manipulated by the old man, as I know exactly how it feels to be used by Dumbledore. We are all tools to him, even the beloved Boy-Who-Lived. You've fallen into the same trap I found myself in – believing Dumbledore actually _cared _beyond achieving his goals, beyond the 'Greater Good.'"

Harry sat and thought about that long winded speech for quite awhile, not wanting to believe Dumbledore was just using him like a tool, but that's what it was, wasn't it? If Dumbledore truly cared, he wouldn't have kept him in the dark the summer before, or all throughout his fifth year. If he cared, Harry would have known about the Prophecy, would have known the vision was a trick from Voldemort, would never have drug his friends into the heart of danger and lost his godfather, who was only trying to protect him. Anger boiled up in Harry as he realized Snape was right – Dumbledore was just a manipulator, that's what he did. "As cynical as that all sounded, I think I agree with you. It's a sad day when you realize your mentor is a manipulative old man rather than a caring instructor."

Severus closed his book and set it aside, leaning forward with his fingers intertwined in front of him. That disdainful, almost mournful look on Harry's face hit far too close to home for Severus, who knew exactly the emotions the boy was feeling. He knew it certainly didn't feel good, either. "Trust me, Harry, I know how that feels." He paused as he studied the teen's worried face, which looked much too old to belong to a sixteen year old. "We are far more alike than I think we both realize. Whether or not that is a good thing is yet to be determined, I guess."

Harry shrugged as he too had found all the similarities between them rather disconcerting, but it did make sense. "Maybe that's why we've never really gotten along very well. I've always heard that two people who are very much alike will always be at loggerheads with each other. Not to mention your lingering hate of my father; that certainly didn't help the situation," Harry pointed out, feeling rather cynical and not very bothered by it like he normally would have been.

Severus let a small smirk pull at the corners of his mouth as he sat back in his armchair and sighed heavily. "That, Harry, is about the most intelligent thing I think I've ever heard you say. However, when it comes to being very similar to someone else, understanding is much easier to accomplish once those similarities are discovered."

"Well, it's not like we're practically twins or anything. In fact, a lot of people would probably describe us as complete opposites if they didn't look closely enough. I'll never be as snarky or cynical as you, and you'll never be as noble or headstrong as me, not to say that you're not brave, though. Anyone who can spend years pulling the wool over Voldemort's eyes and surviving His wrath when He finds out certainly would have to have some hefty bollocks." Harry blushed as he realized what he'd said. "Sorry, I don't think that came out quite right."

Severus chuckled and shook his head. "Statements like that help remind me that you're still a teenager, Harry, and I think that came out exactly like you intended, as crass as it was. I'm honoured that you would classify me as brave as having 'hefty bollocks', as you said."

Harry snorted in laughter and doubled up as his giggling got the best of him. He'd never imagined he'd be sitting across from Severus Snape having a deep discussion, getting along, and _laughing_ together to round it all out. It certainly was the strangest summer Harry had had so far.

S~S~S~S

Harry rubbed his temples as that familiar headache started to creep up on him again. He toyed with the idea of asking Snape for another Headache potion, but fought the urge as he didn't want to become too dependent on them. He needed to get used to this if he wanted to succeed in keeping his shields up constantly.

"If you concentrate too much on it, you're only going to give yourself a headache," Draco said from across the sitting room, his wand held limply at his side.

Harry glared at the Slytherin as he pulled his hands away from his temples. "Yeah, I think I've realized that much, thanks. How do I do it without concentrating so damn much, then? What am I doing wrong here?" he asked frustratedly as he took up pacing in the cramped sitting room once more.

Draco sighed as he flicked his wand and turned the pages in the book sitting on the coffee table to a specific chapter. "You're thinking too far into it. You concentrate on keeping the shield up constantly, right? What you need to do is let the shield come up as a sort of instinct, something you don't really consciously think about, but still do; like breathing for instance. You don't have to keep telling your lungs to release and refill with air, but they still do it automatically by impulses from the brain. Your block needs to be like an automatic impulse, and the only way to achieve that is by practise. However, you can't let yourself wallow in the task of keeping the shield up. Focus on it long enough to bring it up, and then just let it sit and forget about it; let it fall to the back of your mind. The only time you should concentrate on it is to strengthen it against attack, or to occasionally check that it's still there."

"But how will I know it's still there in the background if I'm not concentrating on it?" Harry asked, feeling like this lesson was going in complete circles and making his aching head dizzy.

"That's precisely what I mean when I say it takes practise. In time you'll learn to be able to keep the shield up without really thinking about it. It will start to become second nature to you, but only if you put in the effort to make it so. Yes, you'll most likely concentrate on it a lot in the beginning, but that will change. Think of it this way; how do you know your block is still up while you're sleeping? If you had to concentrate on that shield, you'd never get any sleep. Think about how it feels to pull up that block just before drifting off to sleep, remember that feeling, and try to apply it to keeping the shield up while awake. Does that make more sense?" Draco asked, feeling his own head pounding from re-explaining everything multiple times in many different ways for the Gryffindor. He was certainly being remarkably patient with his thick-skulled school mate.

Harry sighed as he dropped into the armchair and let his wand fall to the side. "Yeah, it makes sense, it's just frustrating. I mean, until I figure out exactly how to do what you're saying, I'm going to keep thinking about it too much, which is only going to make it harder. It's like a never ending cycle and it's damn annoying."

Draco chuckled as he sat down on the couch, reaching over and closing the Occlumency book. He figured they were done for the day, as they both had massive headaches and could use a break. They had made much progress already though, at least in the way Harry actually understood what he was supposed to do; now he just needed to figure out _how_ to do it, and that was something that he'd have to figure out mostly on his own. Draco decided he'd sneak up on Harry one last time before calling it quits, just to keep him on his toes. He cleared his throat to get Harry's attention, which worked, and quickly raised his wand. "_Legilimens!_"

There was a shield in place in Harry's mind, but having been distracted by his headache he didn't pull the block up in time. He watched in rapidly developing horror as Draco watched and heard every word of the Prophecy from Dumbledore on that fateful night of the Ministry fiasco. Too panicked to concentrate enough, Harry couldn't push Draco out in time before the spell was broken. It was too late though; Draco had stayed just long enough to hear the full Prophecy.

With his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open stupidly, Draco stared at Harry for long seconds before he realized Harry was pointing his wand at him. One glance into Harry's eyes and Draco could read the Obliviation spell forming on the tip of his tongue. He quickly pulled up his blocks and cast a shield charm around himself, glaring balefully at the Gryffindor. "Bloody hell, Potter! You were going to _Obliviate_ me? What's wrong with you?!"

Harry shot up to his feet and began pacing again, mentally berating himself for letting _that_ memory out so very easily. "I'm sorry! I just – you should _not_ have seen that memory! Dumbledore is going to kill me."

Draco let down the shield charm around him reluctantly, his wand still held firmly and ready to counter if Harry tried the memory charm after all. "Why on earth was it the first thing on your mind behind the shield if it's that important then? Besides, I'm under Oath, you git! I can't tell anyone what I saw and heard even if I wanted to," Draco reminded the Gryffindor, his heart still beating quickly in his chest. He was still reeling from the information he had just found out about the foolishly proud teen still pacing the room tirelessly.

Harry stopped his pacing and fell back into his seat, frustrated beyond belief now. How _did _that memory come to the surface? He had not been thinking about the Prophecy really at all – or had he been? "I wasn't technically thinking about that. I was thinking about my fight with Remus this morning and – "

"You prat, didn't Severus teach you about memory links?" Draco asked incredulously, wondering why Severus would have left that important detail out.

Harry had to think about that a moment before realizing that, no, he'd never actually heard that term before – from Severus or his books on Occlumency. "No, actually, he didn't. What is it?" he asked, feeling wary of the answer before Draco even began to explain.

Draco rolled his eyes as he relaxed his wand and prepared to go into lecture mode again. "Memory links are trails of memories leading from one to another, or many others. A lot of your memories are interlinked, having some sort of relation to each other in one way or another. Even simple thoughts like what you'll be having for dinner may lead back to a very important memory if you happened to have been eating dinner during that memory, or thinking of it even. My point is, I can follow one memory on to many others using the links and trails connected to said memory. That's why constant blocks are essential; even the most mundane thoughts can lead to important memories, such as the one I just saw."

Harry huffed in annoyance. Why had he not been told about this in the first place? Now he was simply afraid to think at all, paranoid that thinking about flowers could somehow lead to a memory about his mum because her name was Lily. It was more than disconcerting, it was downright infuriating. "Well I'm glad _someone_ had the sense to fill me in on that. Severus never once mentioned it, nor did any of the Occlumency books Snape has."

"Well, that might be because it's a controversial and not widely accepted theory on Occlumency and Legilimency. Most people think it's circumstantial, really, but I've had it done to me enough times by my father to firmly believe that it's fact. He would always use that to catch me in a lie by using trails from my projected memories to find out the truth. Not until I learned to constantly shield was I able to lie to him without him knowing," Draco explained, shivering at the memory of his father manipulating his mind constantly to find out the truth.

Harry frowned at Draco's tone, but didn't question it as it wasn't really his business. "So Snape must believe it's circumstantial too, or else he would have told me, right?" Harry asked, still wondering why Snape would leave something so important out of their lessons.

"Well...Severus is well versed in using the same tactics. He and my father learned Occlumency and Legilimency together. I think maybe...well...I'm not sure about this, so don't fly off the handle, but I think Severus didn't tell you because he didn't want you to worry about it."

Harry scowled darkly as he crossed his arms over his chest, his anger boiling in his veins yet again. "Bloody hypocrite. He'll be getting a piece of my mind later, that's for sure," Harry snarled, surprised by his own viciousness.

Draco frowned as he thought over what he had seen again. Under the Oath, he couldn't tell anyone else about it, but surely he could question Harry about it, right? "So...Was that the Prophecy, then? The one the Dark Lord sent my father to retrieve?" Draco asked tentatively.

Harry blinked in surprise. He didn't think Draco had known what his father's mission had been at the Ministry. He considered denying it at first, but he figured it wouldn't do him any good; people would start to find out eventually, and Draco was on their side now anyways. Plus, there was the Oath to protect him. "Yes, that was the bloody Prophecy. The bane of my existence, the reason I'm alive, the pain in my arse," Harry snapped, feeling more and more unpleasant as he went.

Draco let out a snort of laughter as he smirked at the Gryffindor. "You're starting to sound like Severus, Potter." He chuckled again as Harry glared darkly at him. "So...What does it mean, then? You have to kill him, or he'll kill us all?"

Harry thought about that explanation and decided it worked just as well. "Essentially yes, but there's more to it than that. Voldemort already knows the first half of that, it's the second half he wants. It's the second half that's important. That part there in the middle, about 'marking him as his equal and having powers the Dark Lord knows not' – that's the most important part of it. It means that because Voldemort fulfilled the first half and 'marked me as his equal' by transferring some of his powers after he killed my parents, he set the second half in order with the 'powers the Dark Lord knows not' part."

"But wait, that doesn't make sense. The powers that he transferred to you are the ones 'the Dark lord knows not'? How is that possible, if they're his own powers?" Draco asked, becoming a little lost by Harry's explanation.

Harry felt like this was some sort of climax as his chest became tight at the notion of explaining this part to Draco Malfoy – Slytherin Ice Prince extraordinaire. "Actually, no, that's not the power the Prophecy is referring to. When Voldemort killed my mum, she put an ancient blood protection on me. That's how I survived the killing curse, because of my mum's charm. That charm required unconditional love of a great amount."

Draco cocked an eyebrow as he stared at Harry, sure that he was going to say he was only joking. It never came. "So you're saying that this 'power the Dark Lord knows not'...is love?" he asked incredulously, feeling slightly disappointed. He had hoped that Potter possessed some sort of extraordinary magical powers that would rival any of the Dark Lord's extensive powers, but love? He certainly hadn't expected that curve ball.

Harry blushed as he physically squirmed in his seat. "Yes...My super, extraordinary, fantastical power is the ability to love. Very anticlimactic, eh?" Harry said with a wry grin.

"I'll say. So how are you supposed to kill him with...love?" Draco asked, feeling his faith in the Light slide slipping as he thought about it.

Harry snorted derisively and rolled his eyes. "Good question. Let me know when someone finds out, because I haven't a bloody clue."

Both boys whipped around in their seats as the bedroom door slammed open to reveal Snape, who looked livid.

"Gee, Potter, why don't you just broadcast that to _every_ Death Eater's son, eh? You are learning Occlumency for a reason, you idiot child, and that's to keep things like the Prophecy safe from prying eyes! You do realize that you just told _Lucius Malfoy's son_ exactly what the Dark Lord needs to know, don't you? How could you be so foolish?"

Remus stepped into the sitting room from the kitchen, looking around curiously as Severus' shouting had attracted his attention. "What is going on, Severus?" he asked in a worried tone. Both Harry and Draco were looking a mixture of terrified and indignant.

Severus' nostrils flared and he crossed his arms over his heaving chest and started to pace back and forth in front of his bedroom door. "This _idiot_ of a Gryffindor just explained the entire Prophecy to Draco, word for word, meaning for meaning."

"Are you eaves dropping on our lessons?" Harry asked in shock.

"I'm under a Wizard's Oath, Severus! I couldn't tell anyone about it if I had wanted to, which I don't! Don't you trust me?" Draco asked, clearly stung by Severus' accusations that Draco would ever betray this information to the Dark Lord.

"That's not true! No, you couldn't repeat the Prophecy word for word to anyone because you learned that from your Occlumency lessons with Potter, but everything that he just explained to you, you could surely run off and tell anyone you wanted. The way you both worded the Oath limits the protection greatly. It is not a matter of trusting you, but of what could be drawn out of you should you end up at the mercy of the Dark Lord or his followers again!" Severus snarled, his temper way beyond out of control now. Once he got started in on his rants, it was hard to stop.

"Well that isn't Harry's fault! He didn't know he was limiting the Oath with the way he worded it, and besides, I was the one who asked him to explain," Draco shot back, not quite sure why he was defending Potter in all of this.

Severus snorted mirthlessly as he glared at his godson. "Oh, how noble of you, Draco. You want to take responsibility for it? Fine; you're both bloody imbeciles!"

"Severus, really! Calm yourself, please. There is a way to fix this, ok? We'll just have to make Draco take another Oath to keep all details of the Prophecy to himself. Does that sound good to you two?" Remus asked of the two teens, who were both still looking quite scared and angry at the same time.

Harry simply nodded while Draco seemed to sag in relief. "Of course I'll take another Oath, just as long as no one tries to Obliviate me, which was Harry's first instinct," said Draco, sending a half-hearted glare at the Gryffindor, who shrugged in apology.

Severus stepped forward, his arms still crossed tight over his chest. "Fine, Draco will take another Oath, but I have another idea as well. Potter, you'll remove your memory of the Prophecy and store it in a safe place so that nothing like this can happen again."

Remus scoffed as he stared at Snape. "You can't be serious, Severus! That's just as ridiculously foolish as keeping the Prophecy on record at the Ministry! It will just be another target for Voldemort to go after."

"Not if he never finds out about it. Come, Potter, start thinking of every detail and I'll even remove it for you," Severus said as he summoned a thought storing vial from his potions lab.

"No, Harry! Don't do it," Remus exclaimed, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder as if to keep him from moving towards Snape.

Severus was shaking with rage now as he clutched the unbreakable vial in his hand and his wand in the other. "Back off, Lupin," he hissed dangerously through his clenched teeth. His dark eyes dared the werewolf to interfere again.

Remus stepped away from Harry and closer to Snape, his own amber eyes flashing gold in a clear warning sign from the wolf. "No, you back off, Snape. Harry is as good as my son and I won't let you take this away from him. He deserves to know the details of the Prophecy more so than anyone else, including Dumbledore!" he shouted, his voice shaking in anger along with the rest of his slightly taller frame.

"He does not deserve to know the details if the fool is going to let his mind be read like a children's book! If he cannot keep the information safe in his head, then I will keep it safe in a bottle," Severus snarled, taking a step closer to the werewolf as well, standing his ground without an ounce of fear.

A low growl emitted from Remus throat as he went to raise his wand, but someone caught his arm before he could fire a hex.

"Stop it! Stop it, both of you! You're behaving like children! Fine, I'll give up the memory; it's not that big of a deal, really. If it can be kept safe outside of my mind, then I don't really care where it is as long as it far, far away from Voldemort. Just calm down," Harry pleaded, not quite prepared to step in if a duel between the two wizards were to break out. He had been touched by what Remus had said about him being as good as a son, but he really didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Remus took a few steps back and shoved his wand back into his inside pocket, still glaring daggers at the Potions Professor. "This isn't right, Harry. I'll certainly be having a discussion with Dumbledore about this. That memory shouldn't go anywhere unless he tells you to remove it."

Severus sneered at Remus and crossed his arms back over his chest, his wand still held in his hand. "Go ahead, tattle to dear old Dumbledore, see if I give a bloody hell. I'm trying to keep not only Harry safe, but everyone else. Your sentimental, ridiculous affection for the boy will not keep him safe from his own foolish mistakes. It is not my fault you cannot protect your '_son_'," he snapped, glaring right back at the werewolf, his anger subsiding only very little.

Remus felt his blood run cold as every single feeling of affection he had felt for Severus burned up in his anger. He visibly paled, though he stood his ground still. "Draco, you're switching beds with me," he stated calmly, tearing his eyes away from Snape and looking over at Draco, who was looking much like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Uh, sure, alright. Am I going to take that Oath now?" Draco asked nervously, glancing back and forth between the two older men, taking in Harry every once in a while as well. He had never seen Snape so angry before, and he had seen Snape plenty angry on plenty of occasions to compare it to. He was scared pretty thoroughly.

"Yes. You are going to say 'I solemnly swear to an Oath of Silence regarding anything and everything to do with the Prophecy, gained from Legilimency or discussed otherwise', got it?" Remus said, having already come up with a way to keep Draco from releasing any information about the Prophecy.

Draco and Harry both pulled out their wands in a familiar gesture. Draco turned his wand handle out towards Harry and thrust it towards him." I solemnly swear to an Oath of Silence regarding anything and everything to do with the Prophecy, gained from Legilimency or discussed otherwise."

Harry touched the tip of his wand to the handle of Draco's and the familiar blue glow lit up both their wands and their faces before fading into the wood once more.

"Now the memory, Potter," Snape said as he uncorked the memory storing vial and held up his wand, ready to remove Harry's memory of the Prophecy. He didn't spare a glance for the werewolf; he just stood staring at Harry, waiting for the boy to bring the memory forth.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to gather every thought and detail about the memory of when Dumbledore had told him the full Prophecy. When he was sure he had it all, he gave a short nod of his head and then felt the tip of Snape's wand at his temple. The memory started to fade then slipped away as Snape pulled the gossamer strand away from his temple and dropped the not quite smoke nor liquid into the vial, corking it once more with his wand and sealing it.

"Where are you going to keep it?" Harry asked, feeling a bit wary now that it was actually gone from his mind.

Severus pocketed the bottled memory and stashed his wand away as well. "Somewhere safe, I assure you. Do not worry yourself about."

That comment sparked a fuse in Harry, reigniting his anger from before. "Oh yeah, speaking of worrying myself about things, you're a bloody hypocrite, you know that? Why didn't you teach me about memory links, eh? That's the whole reason Draco even saw that, and it's _your_ fault for not teaching me! So don't you go around telling Remus he can't protect me when it was _you_ who messed up in the first place, _sir_," Harry snapped, sneering at the Potions Professor just as fiercely as Remus had been before. He knew it probably wasn't the best time to piss Snape off again, but he needed to get that off of his chest while the anger was still fresh.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh, sounding and looking so much older than he was. "I did not teach you about memory links because they are merely a theory, not a proven practise. I don't particularly think it will work with the unique connection you have with the Dark Lord," Severus tried to explain in a tired voice.

"No, Draco was just able to do it without even meaning to. You should have told me either way. I need to know _everything_ in order to close my mind," Harry insisted, not really having thought about it not working with his connection to Voldemort.

"You're right, Potter, I should have told you. Are you done yet? I'm quite tired," Severus said in a bored voice, looking as tired as he felt. It had been a long day and all he wanted was to sleep and forget about said day. He also wanted to ignore the slight twinge he felt when Remus and Draco set about switching beds and moving their stuff around for the change.

Harry stared dumbly at Snape for nearly a full minute, not quite sure he had heard correctly. When Snape cocked an eyebrow impatiently he realized he was actually supposed to answer that. "Er...Yeah, goodnight, then," Harry said, feeling extremely awkward indeed. He'd never seen the snarky Potions Professor so defeated before.

Severus turned and stalked into his room, waiting for Draco to finish moving his trunk in before slamming the bedroom door in Harry's face. As he changed for bed and snuffed out the candle on the desk, he ignored the sympathetic and knowing look from his godson, turning on his side and closing his eyes immediately.

Harry sat down on the corner of his bed, rubbing his still pounding temple. He was screwed for Headache potion now – that was for sure. He looked over at Remus, who was calmly organizing his things and stuffing them under the bed for the night. "You didn't have to do that, Remus...I didn't mean to cause trouble," Harry said quietly, feeling like he needed to apologize to makes things right.

Remus sighed as he stood up and crossed the room, sitting beside Harry on his bed. "You didn't cause any trouble, Harry, not at all. Snape caused his own trouble. He made a big deal out of it for some stupid reason, but that isn't your fault, alright? Do not apologize for that man's belligerence," Remus said snidely, glaring at the closed bedroom door.

Harry bit his lip as he too gazed at the closed bedroom door, still feeling like he had caused all the trouble, no matter what Remus told him. "He really pissed you off, didn't he?" Harry asked quietly. Remus was usually a very mild mannered person, but the way he was talking now spoke of boiling anger.

Remus pulled his eyes away from the door eventually, a deep frown on his face. "Yes, Harry, he pissed me off thoroughly. You should get some rest, get rid of that headache of yours. Goodnight, Harry." Remus gave Harry a quick hug before moving back to his own bed and crawling under the covers, feeling very worn out and extremely sad. He should have known that it was too good to be true.

"Night, Remus." Harry pulled off his trainers and socks, laying them beside the bed and pulling his tee shirt off over his head. As he lay his head down on his pillows, he couldn't help but feel he had torn some sort of hole in the patched up relationship between Snape and Remus, and it made him feel horrible.

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**A/N:** Uh ohhh, the boys, (and men), are starting to get stir crazy! Anyone want to place a bet on who cracks first and goes on a killing spree? Just kidding!! Please review and let me know that you think of this chapter! And here's your preview!

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**Next in Ch 12. Prisoner of Memory:**

It was a week until Hogwarts was to start up again and both Harry and Draco had received their Hogwarts letters the morning before. The four occupants of the Bristol Cottage set off on a mission to Diagon Alley to get their supplies as quickly and inconspicuously as possible.

Remus fidgeted with his wand arm holding tightly to his wand, which was stuck up his sleeve for quick access. He looked around distractedly as people gave their odd entourage strange looks. "Are you sure this was a wise idea, Severus? We could easily have gotten the boys' supplies for them and left them home. We still haven't apprehended the ones who attacked Harry earlier this summer."

Severus rolled his eyes as he kept close approximation to his two charges and his..._companion. _He was not quite as obviously paranoid as the werewolf, but he was very anxious, not helped by Remus' fidgeting. "Calm down, Remus. I don't intend to let them run off by themselves at any point and there are other Order members stationed around the Alley in case anyone tries to pull something."


	12. Sleeping Beauty

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Well, here is another chapter for you all. I'll let you in on a secret...You're probably going to want to murder me when you finish this chapter! This is one of the most important chapters, so pay close attention! Reviews are always nice, even if you yell and scream at me in them! Enjoy!

**P.S.** (Shameless self promotion time!) Check out my new one-shot Five O'clock Shadow if you're into Harry/Draco slash!

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**Ch 12.  
Sleeping Beauty**

The tension was so thick in Snape cottage that you could physically feel the pressure of it on your lungs. There was hardly a word spoken by anyone, and when one did speak, it was to ask the time, to pass the salt, open the window for the post owl and Hedwig, or excuse themselves from the table. Draco and Harry tried to hold whispered conversations and had even put the Occlumency lessons on hold.

Three days after the initial argument, Remus finally broke the silence while the four of them sat in the sitting room pouring over books out of sheer boredom. "This silence is beyond maddening. Don't you children ever make any noise?" Remus asked of the two teens, who looked up from their individual books.

"We're not children, and we prefer not to make noise if it's going to set Severus off, no offence," Draco said, glancing over at his godfather, who was sitting in his favourite armchair across from the other three, who took up the couch.

Severus rolled his eyes as he turned a page in his book leisurely. "I'm not an explosive, you cannot set me off."

"Oh, I beg to differ," Remus muttered as he sat back and continued to stare disinterestedly at his book. He glanced up and found Severus' burning gaze on him from across the room.

Harry rolled his eyes as he paid attention to the staring contest rather than his book. Snape was glaring at Remus, who was glaring right back at Snape, looking more haughty than Harry had ever seen him. It was interesting, really, to see two of his Professors acting like teenagers all over again.

"You can beg all you want, Lupin," Severus drawled, his eyebrows rising suggestively.

Draco snorted into his book and tried to stifle his giggles as Harry glared pointedly at him to shut him up. He too had found that comment amusing, though he wasn't brave or stupid enough to laugh at it.

Remus continued to stare at Severus until he broke out in raucous laughter, startling Severus into dropping his book, which made Draco laugh harder. Harry had unfortunately taken a sip of tea just then and spit it out his mouth and nose as he joined in on the laughter, which made Severus chuckle from his armchair. Soon all four of them were wiping tears of mirth from their eyes as the giggling and chuckling slowly subsided.

"Well, I must say we could all have used that laugh," Severus said as he finished drying his eyes and leaned over to pick up his fallen book.

Remus smiled lightly over at the Potions Master, a strange twinkling in his eyes. "Yes, we all needed that for sure."

Draco looked between the two men and distinctly felt like he had walked in on his parents snogging when he was ten all over again. "Er, let's go work on your Occlumency, Harry," Draco said, nodding towards the door to the kitchen.

Harry shrugged and set his book aside, not catching the undercurrents travelling thickly across the room. "Yeah sure, why not."

Severus waited until the boys had disappeared into the kitchen before casting a silencing charm on the door so that they could not eaves drop.

"I'm sorry – "

"I apologize for – "

The two men spoke simultaneously, eliciting a blush from Remus and an amused grin from Severus. Another slightly awkward silence passed as they both waited for the other to go first. Yet again, Remus' Gryffindor courage won out.

"I'm sorry for overreacting the other night. I know you were just trying to help Harry, but the way you were speaking to him just...set my skin on edge," Remus said, frowning slightly at the memory.

Severus nodded slowly, thinking over a good response to that. "And I apologize for acting the way I did in the first place. I should not have been so hard on Harry. I fear my paranoia from years of espionage will never fade. I should not have said that you couldn't protect Harry, either – "

Remus shook his head quickly, cutting Snape off. "No, you're right – I can't fully protect Harry, and that is why I depended on you to do it for me when I could not. You did not let me, or him, down, and I should be very grateful for that, not arguing with you about Harry's self confidence and keeping the Prophecy inside his own mind. I should know that you'd never put him in harm's way. I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I fear you put too much trust in me, Remus. Don't depend on me for too much, for I have been known to deeply disappoint in the past," Severus said quietly, averting his eyes as he stared at the ever darkening window instead.

Remus smiled warmly as he stood up and crossed the room. When he reached Snape's armchair, he reached out a hand and tugged Severus to his feet, surprising the man, who hadn't noticed he had crossed the room. Standing face to face with the Potions Professor and pulling him close, Remus whispered gently, "We all make mistakes, Severus. The real test lies in learning from those mistakes." He leaned in and pressed his lips firmly to Severus', moaning lightly as Severus returned the kiss with much passion.

Harry was sitting across the kitchen table from Draco, his eyes closed as he focused on his shield. Once he felt it was safe enough to let it fall to the background, he opened his eyes and was met with slate gray ones almost immediately. He didn't even hear a spell, but he knew Draco was trying to delve into his mind. He pulled up the block much quicker than before, properly shutting the Slytherin out and forcefully removing his presence from his mind.

Draco blinked and broke the spell, shaking his head to clear it. Harry had used a lot of force to keep him out, which shocked him slightly. "Well, that was definitely an improvement."

"Did you just try to wandlessly Legilimize me?" Harry asked, curious now as to how Draco had managed that without saying the spell at all. Maybe he just hadn't heard it in his concentration.

"This is practise for me as well, Potter. I've been learning how to do Legilimency wandlessly like Severus does, but it's really difficult. It takes much more force than using a wand to focus the magic through. That's only the third time I've successfully been able to do it," Draco explained, excited that he had done it again, this time with much more ease than the last.

Harry smirked as a thought occurred to him. He waited until Draco looked into his eyes, then concentrated hard on the spell, imagining that he was focusing the magic through his eyes instead of his wand. A flash of a scene where Lucius Malfoy was beaming and clapping him on the shoulder assaulted his mind, accompanied by mixed feelings of elation and annoyance before he was forcefully pushed out.

"I hate you, Potter! It's taken me _years_ to learn Legilimency, and months to be able to do it wandless a mere _three_ times! You don't even have to try, you can do it automatically. I _hate_ you!" Draco sneered, though it was more out of disdain than actual hate.

Harry could see that it was jealousy talking, not actual malice, and felt himself relax. "Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I didn't ask to be a natural Legilimens; trust me, I'd rather have been a natural Occlumens."

Draco scoffed at that. He'd have been even more livid if Harry was a natural at _both_. "I'm surprised you're not, since you seem to be able to do everything else." Draco stood up, his wand held loosely in his hand. "I want to try something. I'm going to try to Legilimize you, wandlessly, but instead of just pushing me out, I want you to try to reverse the channel to Legilimizing me, wandless as well. Ready?"

Harry shrugged and nodded, blinking a few times before catching Draco's eyes. He felt the first signs of Draco's presence and used the same way of focusing his magic through his eyes as he did before. Suddenly, he was watching a memory that was not only _certainly_ not his, but he hoped to every deity he could think of that it wasn't Draco's either. Harry blinked and broke the spell, shaking his head hard to clear the disturbing image away.

"I…Draco…What was that memory?" Harry asked in a horrified whisper as he dropped back down into his chair, staring wide eyed at the Slytherin.

Draco was breathing extremely hard as he avoided Harry's gaze completely and dropped into the chair opposite, cradling his head in his hands. "Please, Harry….Don't do this, not now, ok? You weren't supposed to see that, no one was _ever_ supposed to see that," Draco whispered, his pale hand covering his worried gray eyes.

Harry leaned across the table towards Draco, a worried crease between his eyebrows. "Was that where you were after you ran away from Bellatrix? Draco…Did that man h-hurt you…like _that_?" Harry asked, horrified by the very thought. He got his answer by Draco's quiet whimper and subtle shudder.

"You can't tell Severus, Harry…Please, I couldn't stand seeing that look in his eyes if he ever found out. What matters now is that I'm safe here with you lot. I can't change the past, alright? So don't linger on it. Forget you ever saw that," Draco pleaded, taking a deep breath to calm his panicking nerves. He had grown to begin to trust Harry, but he wasn't sure if the Gryffindor was capable of keeping a secret of such magnitude to himself. Draco sincerely hoped he was.

Harry shook his head indignantly. How could Draco try to make him keep something like that a secret, especially from his godfather? He was obviously _not_ ok, and Harry would feel horrible knowing the information and doing nothing about it. "Draco…I-I can't keep something like that from Snape. He's been trying to coax the information out of you since you got here, and if he even suspects I might know anything about it, he'll dive into my mind and get it himself. He may have taught me Occlumency, but he's a damn good Master Legilimens and I wouldn't stand a chance if he really wanted to get it from me."

Draco stood up and rounded on Harry angrily, his gray eyes flashing silver; a definite Malfoy danger sign. "So don't lead him on and make him suspect you know anything! Swear to me, Harry! I swore to keep your secret, now you have to keep mine!"

"That was different! Snape already knew about the Prophecy and that it puts me in grave danger! This, though…Draco, what that man did to you was _disgusting_ and he should be punished for what he did! Don't you want him to pay for hurting you? If Snape knew, he'd find him and he'd have his bollocks on a silver platter in ten seconds flat. Why won't you let anyone help you?" Harry didn't know when he had stood up, or when he had drawn so close to the Slytherin, but he was aware that his voice had grown to a shout and it made Draco pale considerably.

"For the love of Merlin, Harry, keep it down! Severus and Lupin are just in the other room, you prat! I don't fucking care about that bastard, alright? I got away from him unscathed, so what's the big deal, eh?" Draco pleaded in a hurried whisper, trying to push Harry back down into his chair to keep the argument from escalating out of his control.

"Unscathed? Draco, when you showed up here with Dumbledore you had bruises and cuts all over you, not to mention you were starved and obviously emotionally drained. Merlin only knows what else was wrong with you that you were keeping from everyone. If it wasn't for Dumbledore's trust in you and his impersonal healing spells, Snape would have found out for sure. I thought Gryffindors were the foolishly stubborn ones, not Slytherins!"

"You're right, Slytherin's have pride and a sense of self-preservation, meaning we'll do anything to keep ourselves alive – _anything_, do you understand?" Draco whispered furiously as he shoved Harry forcefully into a chair and sat down in the one beside him, clenching his fists to keep his temper in check.

Harry stared at Draco, appalled by what the Slytherin was telling him. "Are you saying that you…you did it all willingly to save your own skin? You let him…" Harry turned away, swallowing the lump in his throat that had kept him from finishing his sentence. He knew Slytherin's had a strong urge to thrive, but he never thought anyone would go _that_ far, especially not _Draco bloody Malfoy_.

Draco sighed heavily as he ran his hands agitatedly through his silky blonde locks. "I know you think I'm disgusting now, but please don't tell anyone, Harry…_Please_."

Harry shook his head, feeling his stomach squirm at the desperation and self-loathing in Draco's voice. "No – Draco…I don't think you're disgusting at all. I think _that man _is disgusting and deserves to burn in hell! Whether you think you did it willing or not, he kept you there against your will. You were forced to cave in to keep yourself alive. Don't hate yourself for something you had no control over," Harry said, placing a comforting hand on Draco's trembling shoulder. He felt his heart sink even lower as he heard a badly veiled sniffle and a whimper come from the blonde.

Draco stayed staring at the floor, not wanting to look up and see concern-filled emerald eyes staring back at him. It was bad enough that Harry knew at all, but to hear the Gryffindor defend and comfort him – it was too much. "Look, I swear on my mother's grave that I will tell someone if and when I am ready, but you have to swear you'll let me do it on my own, tell Severus on my own terms, alright?" Draco said as he reluctantly looked up at the raven-haired teen he had so recently despised.

Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, a sense of foreboding telling him not to agree, to seek help for Draco immediately. However, Harry knew what it was like to be so hurt that he couldn't bear for anyone else to know. If he were in Draco's situation, he'd feel the exact same way the Slytherin did. Though he knew he would regret it later, Harry nodded slowly, meeting the blonde's smouldering grey eyes. "Ok…I swear on my mother's grave that I won't tell a soul. I really want to help you, Draco…At least help yourself if you won't let me, yeah?"

Draco let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing as his sense of panic dwindled away. "Thank you, Harry. I promise…I'll tell someone eventually."

S~S~S~S

It was a week until Hogwarts was to start up again, and both Harry and Draco had received their Hogwarts letters the morning before. The four occupants of the Bristol Cottage set off on a mission to Diagon Alley to get their supplies as quickly and inconspicuously as possible.

Remus fidgeted with his robes, holding tightly to his wand, which was stuck up his sleeve for quick access. He looked around distractedly as people gave their odd entourage strange looks. "Are you sure this was a wise idea, Severus? We could easily have gotten the boys' supplies for them and left them home. We still haven't apprehended the ones who attacked Harry earlier this summer."

Severus rolled his eyes as he kept close approximation to his two charges and his..._companion. _He was not quite as obviously paranoid as the werewolf, but he was very anxious, not helped by Remus' fidgeting. "Calm down, Remus. I don't intend to let them run off by themselves at any point and there are other Order members stationed around the Alley in case anyone tries to pull something."

Harry stopped walking abruptly, making Snape walk right into him, as he'd been looking the other direction at Remus. "I have escorts _and_ people are still guarding me wherever I go? Why is it that I never know any of this?" he asked with an incredulous expression.

Severus glared and gave Harry a prod in the back to keep him moving, not wanting to linger too long on the high streets. "It's for your own protection, idiot child, and you're not told precisely because of that abysmal attitude you're so fond of having. If you weren't so insolent maybe Dumbledore would be more willing to divulge such information – "

"Honestly, why don't you just send him to bed with no pudding while you're at it, Severus? You sound like a mollycoddling father. It's rather disgusting," Draco sneered as he flounced his way a little ahead of the group, trying to look more important than he was. Truth be told, he was in just as much danger as Potter, if not more.

"However would you know what a mollycoddling father sounds like, Draco? You're father hasn't coddled you once since you were an infant," Severus snapped irritably, knowing damn well Draco was right and highly irritated by it.

"Severus, that was uncalled for," Remus admonished. He was sure he would never understand the dynamics of Snape's relationship with his godson, but purposely kicking him while he was down was pretty low, even for Snape.

However, Draco turned and smirked haughtily at Snape, walking backwards in a show of overconfidence. "You're right, Severus; I was coddled enough by _you_ to make up where my real father lacked."

"Why you insolent little – !"

"Harry! It's wonderful to see – Professor Snape? Malfoy? _Remus_?" Hermione stopped in her rush to hug Harry and stared bemusedly at the strange group in front of her.

Ron ambled over not paying a bit of attention to Harry's escorts and grinning crookedly at his best friend. "Hey mate; glad to see you were let out of your cage. You just get here? Hermione and I need to – " He was cut off as Hermione elbowed him pointedly, making him look up and realize who was present. "Bloody hell!"

"Language, Weasley," Severus sneered at the grimacing redhead. He'd surely never get use to those Weasley expressions of horror, no matter how many times they were directed at him from the various Weasleys – children and adults.

Harry shifted uncomfortably as he felt some sort of impending explosion building up. "Hey guys. Good summer so far?" he asked with a tentative smile.

"Er...Yeah, it's been nice. Uh, Harry, can we speak to you – privately?" Hermione asked, giving Snape and Malfoy wary looks. She had a light hold on Ron's arm, trying to soothe the boiling emotions she could sense coming from him.

"Stay where we can see you, Harry, and hurry up. We shouldn't be out too long," Remus said as he conspicuously brushed Severus' palm with his fingertips to indicate that he should let Harry go.

"Put a rush on it, Potter," Severus said grudgingly as he allowed the Golden Trio to retreat quite a few hasty steps away to compose a whispered conversation.

Ron rounded on Harry as soon as they were out of earshot, his face a lovely shade of Pissed Off Weasley-red. "What the bloody hell are you doing with Snape and Malfoy, Harry? Don't tell me that's who you've had to stay with all summer!"

Harry's look of chagrined guilt made Ron's face grow dangerously redder. "I didn't have much of a choice, Ron. Dumbledore thinks it's the safest place for me until Hogwarts starts up again. It's not as horrible as you may think, actually. Snape has helped me loads this summer, not to mention saved my life –"

Hermione tightened her hold on Ron's arm as he threw a scathing look over at Snape and Malfoy. "Harry, you can't honestly be comfortable with this, right? Being stuck with Snape and Malfoy? I can't imagine wherever you're staying is very large either; how do all three of you live?"

"Four; Remus is living with us too. It's for extra protection, and because he's pretty miffed at Dumbledore presently. We live pretty comfortably, if not a bit too cosy. Draco and I sleep in the sitting room and Snape and Remus share the bedroom – er, at least they did before that big fight. Now Draco's in the room with Snape and Remus is in the sitting room with me."

"'Draco'?! Since when do you call the ferret by his first name? And why is the prat living with you anyways? Doesn't he have some huge mansion in Wiltshire to be lording over?" Ron asked snidely, trying to pull his arm out of Hermione's increasingly tight grip.

Harry frowned at his friend, willing his sudden surge of anger to subside before he tried to answer Ron's slightly hysteric questions. "First off, I started addressing him by his full name when he started teaching me Occlumency as a show of trust, which is a requirement of the skill. Second, he's staying in the same place as me because his mother was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange and then he was held captive by the psychotic bitch until he escaped her and lived on the streets until he found Dumbledore and switched sides. I assume Malfoy Manor is still there, yes, but it's probably also teeming with Death Eater scum and Voldemort himself. He's under Dumbledore's protection now, not to mention Snape is his legal guardian as his godfather."

Hermione's eyes were impossibly wide and Ron's mouth was gaping open stupidly. They stared in utter silence for what seemed like hours until Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Snape behind him.

"Come, Harry; we have much to do and very little time to do so. There's only a week until term starts, you'll see them then."

Ron blanched as he stared up at Snape instead. "Did you just call him 'Harry'? And since when were you so..._nice_?"

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed in a harassed sort of voice.

Severus rolled his eyes as he tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder in an attempt to steer him away. "Yes, I called him Harry, and don't mistake my rapidly waning patience for niceness. Good day Weasley, Granger."

Harry shrugged with a slight frown as he waved at his friends before allowing Snape to steer him back towards Malfoy and Remus, who were both looking surprisingly worried. He forced himself not to turn around and see the scandalized looks that surely graced Ron's and Hermione's expressions.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked Remus and Draco, spotting a problem where Harry had not. He quickly pulled his wand out and let his eyes travel quickly around the Alley.

Remus gulped visibly and shared a look with Draco before answering Snape. "Draco said he recognized one of the men who just walked by and are now standing very close to Ron and Hermione from one of his father's Death Eater dinner parties."

Severus slowly turned around, his wand held closely at his side as he squinted towards the two men looking conspicuously in Ron and Hermione's direction from naught fifteen feet away. "Ellings and Briggs. They're fairly unimportant figures, but Death Eaters none the less." Severus rapped Harry smartly on the head with his wand, incanting a Disillusionment charm. "You have your cloak, yes? Put it on," Severus instructed Harry out of the corner of his mouth.

Remus copied Snape's movements and did the same to Draco, shoving him close to Harry as the Invisibility cloak swung around both teens. "We need to protect Draco as well, Severus."

"Get ready to shield Granger and Weasley when I say so." Severus waited for Remus' nod before making a move towards the two men, which spurred them into action. "NOW!"

Remus cast a strong shield charm at Ron and Hermione, encasing them in a bubble of glowing protection. He grabbed blindly for a few seconds before pushing the invisible teens towards the closest shop, indicating they should hide out.

Draco stumbled as he was pushed into Harry, who caught him on instinct and ended up flat on his back with Draco sprawled over him underneath the cloak. "Bloody werewolf," Draco grumbled as he struggled to regain his footing and help Harry up while keeping the cloak covering them. He had to crouch slightly as he was much taller than Harry and made the cloak hover, even though they were Disillusioned.

"I can't just stand here, I have to do something! They want me, not them!" Harry said in a heated whisper as he went to pull the cloak off himself.

"Potter, stop playing the hero and let's go! Look, there's other's coming to help now," Draco pointed out as he saw three people running towards Snape, Remus, and the two Death Eaters with their wands drawn.

"Yeah, help on both sides!" Harry growled as four more Death Eaters in black cloaks Apparated to the scene.

"Harry, come _on_!" Draco grounded out as he tugged at Harry's arm and tried to drag him towards Madame Malkin's, which was the closest shop. He could hear shouted warnings and horrified screams from passers-by as they scurried for cover.

Harry suffered a few seconds indecision as he watched a Death Eater dismantle the shield around Ron and Hermione. Harry pulled his wand and countered the Disillusionment charm, hoping to distract the Death Eaters enough to keep Ron and Hermione safe. He escaped the folds of the cloak before Draco could stop him. "Oi! I'm over here!"

Draco panicked as all six Death Eaters turned towards Harry with their wands aimed. He quickly grabbed Harry around the shoulders and pivoted, making his still-invisible back face the Death Eaters as six simultaneous spells shot in his direction. He made a silent prayer that none of those spell lights were green before the world went black and he dropped to the ground.

As Harry felt the blast of spells hit Draco behind him, twenty or so Aurors turned up and quickly joined in on the battle, but the Death Eaters Apparated quickly away. Harry knelt down and whipped the cloak off of Draco, who was fully visible as whatever cocktail of curses he'd taken had lifted the Disillusionment charm. "Draco..." Harry whispered, horrified that the Slytherin had risked himself to protect him.

"You foolish, arrogant, waste of oxygen!" Severus shouted, spit flecks flying from his mouth as he ran over and dropped to his knees beside his unconscious godson. He quickly checked for a pulse and relaxed minutely as he felt a faint heartbeat. He performed a few diagnostics spells to assess the damage, becoming increasingly panicked by what they showed.

Remus ran over and quickly pulled Harry to his feet, moving him away from Draco's prone body and Severus, who was glaring at him viciously as he stood up, his wand still held at his side. "Severus, now, calm down..."

"What the _hell_ were you thinking, Potter?! After all I've done to protect you, you go and give yourself up on a silver platter – and for what, to protect Granger and Weasley? You idiot, Lupin's shield charm was still working, the outer shell was the only thing affected!"

Dumbledore suddenly appeared and looked around to assess the damage before spotting Draco lying on the ground and Snape advancing on Harry, who was being held protectively against Remus' chest. "Severus, the boy needs the hospital. I will deal with Harry," the old man instructed in a too calm voice.

Severus spun around and dropped down to lift Draco up in his arms. Without a moment's hesitation, he spun and Apparated them both straight into St. Mungo's emergency room. "I need a Healer!" Severus shouted to no one in particular.

Harry was shaking uncontrollably against Remus' chest, his eyes stinging smartly. It took him awhile to realize he was actually crying. "I didn't...Draco shouldn't have – I'm sorry!" Harry babbled his eyes wide as Dumbledore approached, his expression grave.

"That was a very foolish thing to do, Harry. Your life is much more valuable than your friends'. You should have trusted the Aurors and Order members to protect Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. Your dire mistake could have killed you and left us all in mortal danger. Instead, it could result in Mr. Malfoy's death. You're lucky, very lucky, that Draco had a fit of Gryffindor bravery just now. Come, we must check on how Mr. Malfoy is doing." Dumbledore turned in a sweep of his cloak as the Aurors and Order members were cleaning up the mess and Disapparating away.

Ron and Hermione ran over to where Harry stood, still leaning heavily against Remus, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

"Harry, you're such an idiot!" Hermione cried as she flung herself at him and hugged him tightly.

Ron was pale and seemed to be a bit shaken as he pat Harry nervously on the arm. "That was pretty stupid, mate. I can't believe Malfoy took all those spells for you..."

Remus could feel Harry trembling even more against him. He peeled Hermione away from Harry as he put his arm around the boy's shoulder to help keep him steady. "We need to get going, before a repeat occurrence takes place. You both should go straight home as well; order your school supplies by owl order instead if you don't have them all already."

Ron and Hermione nodded reluctantly and hurried back towards the entrance way to the Alley, leading back to the Leaky Cauldron where they could both floo back to the Burrow. Remus gripped Harry's shoulder tightly. "Hang on, Harry."

With that familiar, horrible sensation of being squeezed through a very tight tube, Remus and Harry were standing in the main atrium of St. Mungo's, which bustled noisily. Remus directed Harry over to the Welcome Witch's desk.

"Hello, we're here to check on Draco Malfoy. He came in just mere minutes ago," Remus told the witch, who popped her gum annoyingly before glancing down at a long parchment and searching out Draco's name.

"Fourth floor, Spell Damage. Next!"

Remus tugged Harry towards the lift, which clattered and banged as it stopped and opened its wiry gate for them. They both stepped in and Remus closed the gate before pushing the round 'four' button to the right of the lift. They made their way steadily up until the lift jangled to a stop and the gate slid open noisily.

"Fourth floor, Spell Damage," an eerie voice informed them as they stepped out of a lift and into a busy corridor. Remus was about to ask one of the Healers which ward Draco was in when he spotted Snape pacing back and forth in front of a door with the sign MAGICAL EMERGENCIES: SPELL DAMAGE SECTOR.

"Severus, how is he, do you know?" Remus asked as he hurried forwards towards the Potions Master.

Harry hung back intentionally, expecting to be cursed eight ways from Sunday if he got within twenty feet of Snape. He leaned heavily against the wall behind him and slid all the way down until he was crouched on the floor, his forehead resting on his knees.

Severus looked up at Remus and purposefully pretended like he couldn't see Potter hanging around in the background out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know anything yet. They took him back and told me to stay here. Said they'd send someone out with any new developments," Severus explained in a strained voice as he ran a hand through his hair for the hundredth time since letting Draco out of his sight.

"Why don't you sit down, Severus. I'll go find you some tea and then I'll wait with you, ok? Has Dumbledore stopped by yet? He said he was going to," Remus said as he placed a comforting hand on Snape's shoulder.

Severus sneered as he pulled away from Remus and continued to pace. "Of course not. Dumbledore doesn't give a damn if Draco lives or dies, as long as precious Potter is unharmed," he snapped, sending a glare in Harry's direction, though the boy still had his face buried in his knees.

Remus frowned as he grabbed hold of Severus' shoulders to keep him from pacing. "Please, Severus, just go sit down and calm down a bit, alright? Worrying yourself into a fit isn't going to help anyone, least of all Draco. I'll be right back with some tea."

Severus grudgingly took one of the many mismatched chairs around the waiting room, feeling fidgety and useless. He didn't even know if Draco was dead or alive at this point and the waiting was driving him crazy.

Remus stopped and crouched in front of Harry, placing a hand gently on the back of his head. "Harry, why don't you go sit over there in a chair, not on the ground? I'll bring you some tea back as well, alright? Severus isn't going to do anything to you; he's not stupid enough to try it." Remus assured the distraught teen, who still seemed to be crying.

Harry huffed in disbelief, but sat up and wiped his eyes on his sleeve before allowing Remus to help him to his feet. With a helpful shove in the right direction, Harry walked over to the mismatched chairs arranged in an odd circle around the makeshift waiting room. He chose a seat diagonal from Snape and folded himself up in it quite well, still leaning his chin on his knee. He avoided the Potions Master's gaze as best he could.

Even with all the noisy bustling of Healer's and patients, the air around the copse of chairs Severus and Harry sat in seemed deathly silent, unnervingly so. There was a clock on the wall that ticked ominously, slowly. The door to the emergency room opened just as Remus walked up juggling three cups of tea, which he set aside immediately as he saw a Healer head towards Snape.

"Mr. Snape?" the Healer asked tentatively. She looked pretty young, maybe she was remembering the Potions Professor from her Hogwarts days.

Severus stood up quickly, which made him tower over the fairly short Healer. "Yes, how is he?"

The Healer shuffled some papers on a clipboard before looking up at Snape, her expression blank but her eyes giving away her emotion of grave disappointment. "We weren't able to detect every spell he was hit with, even with you describing the different spell lights. With so many different spells acting upon each other, a counter curse treatment might very well kill him instead of save his life, as we don't know the full effects of all the spells combined. From our diagnostic spells, we've found nerve damage, and a possible brain injury. However, Mr. Malfoy has gone into shock and his body has essentially shut down. He's in a coma, sir."

Severus gulped at the lump in his throat and nodded stiffly, glad Remus was behind him and willing to hold him up as he leaned his weight back against the man. "Can nothing else be done?" he asked quietly, sickened to hear that hopeful tone in his voice.

"For now, he needs to be monitored closely to see if any new symptoms come up or if there are any changes in his brain activity, which is really low right now. The research department are looking up possible solutions for spell damage of this nature, but I can make you no promises. I'm sorry, Professor."

Severus felt his heart sink even lower. What if Draco never woke up? What if Draco did wake up, but he was a complete invalid? He was Severus' responsibility now, could he handle taking care of a handicapped child? Could he handle watching Draco waste away in a coma? "Can I see him?"

The Healer nodded and moved aside so that Snape could walk beside her. "Of course, but only one visitor at a time," she said, looking back towards Remus and Harry, who had been listening in the whole time.

Severus looked back at Remus' worried and sympathetic face and Harry's pale and sickly one. "They won't be seeing him," he said firmly, his tone icy cold and his eyes dark.

When they entered the ward where Draco was staying, Severus began to feel a little prick of panic rise in his chest. He didn't know if he could stand seeing his godson like this, but he needed to check on him. A curtain was drawn back and the Healer nodded her head towards the bed, where Draco was laying on his back, the blankets pulled up to his chest. His ice blonde hair wafted across the pillow, falling into his closed eyes. His pale skin seemed even whiter than the sheets around him and he looked like he could have been dead if not for the very subtle rise and fall of his chest.

Severus moved forward and the Healer walked away to give him some privacy, presumably. He reached out a hand to brush away a few strands of silky hair and was glad to feel the warmness of Draco's skin, despite it looking like he had been frozen in time. Severus pulled the chair sitting off to the side closer to the bed and sat down, his elbows propped on the edge of the hospital bed. Severus cradled his head in his hands and just sat there in silence for what could very well have been hours, thinking about how drastically he had failed the closest thing he had to a child.

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**A/N:** Yes, yes, I _do_ know that I'm evil. The plot thickens and the real story begins to take off, WOO HOO! Please review and let me know what you think, whether it's good or bad! Thanks for reading!

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**Next in Ch 13. A Kiss of Mortality:**

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**"Are you feeling better, Harry?" Tonks asked as she leaned her elbows on the table, her chin rested on her palm. Her hair was a deep shade of purple today and fell elegantly to her shoulders, framing her pale, heart shaped face nicely.

"A bit, but not much," Harry said quietly, not sure why he was talking about it with Tonks of all people. As down to earth as she was, Harry had become increasingly annoyed with her while she had been guarding him at the cottage. Maybe it had been a combination of feeling the prisoner and being baby sat that made him irritable in the first place, not Tonks herself.

Tonks shifted her chair so that she was angled more towards Harry, which in turn scooted the chair closer so that they bumped knees under the table. "It _was_ stupid, Harry, but I don't think you're fully to blame. Don't let the guilt take you over, yeah? I'm sure they'll find a way to wake young Malfoy up; it'll just take time. Try not to let Severus get to you so much, either. It's quite unnerving to see you so frightened of him."


	13. A Kiss of Mortality

**A/N: **Hey all! Well I know this update is earlier than most, but I really feel like updating again since I'm so far ahead in my writing. I didn't think you would all mind a nice update after my evil cliff hanger. I've made a few changes in the story line, the first of which is introduced in this chapter. Review and let me know what you think!

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**Ch 13.  
A Kiss of Mortality**

The canopy above the bed seemed much dustier than it should have been after only three months abandonment. The crisp linens and too-heavy blanket felt like a straight jacket to Harry, and he was sure he would suffocate any moment from the pressure of it. Throwing the heavy duvet to the side, Harry curled up underneath the silky top sheet and tried to close his eyes, but they snapped open again as the image of Draco, stark white and deathly still, haunted behind his eyelids. Harry did not realize he had been biting his lip until he tasted coppery blood.

Abandoning the attempt to get any sleep, Harry threw off the sheet and swung his feet from the bed, looking around for some sort of distraction. He reached over to the nightstand and pulled open the single drawer, finding little odds and ends that must have belonged to his godfather. He shifted around some burnt down candles and broken quill bits and gasped as he caught his own reflection in a small square mirror that was horribly familiar. With trembling fingers, Harry scooped the mirror up and cradled it in his still-youthful hands, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over yet again. He slid his thumb along the edge and let out another gasp as the thin mirror sliced his flesh, warm droplets of blood collecting at the slivered cut. He put his injured thumb to his mouth and nursed the wound as he wiped the little smear of blood off of the reflective glass onto the pair of borrowed pyjama pants that he wore.

Harry was unaware of how long he sat and stared into the little mirror, wishing that Sirius or his father would appear and tell him how to correct his monumental mistake. He wished for his mother to appear and tell him that everything was alright; it would all work out in the end. Even as Harry wished for this false hope, ached for someone to reassure him and hold him while he cried, he knew that he would never feel the warmth of his mother's hug, the love of his father's pride. He knew that he was destined to be alone in his struggles, even if he had a few people around him who seemed like they cared almost like a parent would. It was inevitable – Harry Potter would always be an orphan, and he would always have to endure constant reminders that he was alone. The pain of that realization tore at his soul more than anything else ever could.

S~S~S~S

"Now, Severus, you're being unreasonable."

"He can stay _here_, there's no reason why he can't! Headquarters is just as safe as my cottage, and I do not wish for him to be in residence with me any longer. If I never see his face again, it'll be too soon," Severus snarled as he paced the basement kitchen at Grimmauld Place tirelessly.

Remus rubbed a hand tiredly across his face, his tea growing cold on the table in front of him. Tonks sat across from him looking rather bored and sending exasperated glances at Snape as the man paced in front of Dumbledore, who was looking as serene and calm as ever.

"Voldemort and his followers have no idea that your cottage even exists, Severus. They know the Order has a Headquarters, and they know it is in London. Just knowing that is far too much information and it puts Harry at risk. There is only one week until Hogwarts begins again, and then Mr. Potter will reside in Gryffindor Tower, far from your dungeon quarters and classroom. You are mature enough to handle having him for only one week longer, are you not?" Dumbledore asked in his maddeningly calm and level-headed voice.

Severus let out a quiet growl as he spun around and glared at Remus as if this was all his fault. He was angry and looking for any outlet, apparently. "Fine, he can stay one more week if he wants, but I cannot. I'll return to Hogwarts early and Lupin can babysit the brat until school starts again."

"I have to return to the school for the staff meeting as well, Severus. Though I have no qualms about staying with Harry, I cannot. Perhaps it would be best if all three of us were to return to Hogwarts early," Remus suggested with a shrug. He sounded tired and looked it, too. The three of them had not slept at all that night, what with Snape refusing to leave St. Mungo's until nearly four in the morning and Harry being wary of returning to the Bristol cottage with Snape at all. Only when Dumbledore came to check up did Harry beg mercy to sleep at Headquarters for at least a little while. The boy was still asleep even then.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded gently. "If that would be more amendable to the situation, then I am not opposed to the three of you returning to Hogwarts a bit early. Harry might be a bit upset about not riding the train with his friends, but I think I can talk him into it, if I must."

"He'll get over it, I'm sure. He can explain to Draco's friends why Draco didn't ride the train with them, either; that should sober him right up," Severus said snidely. He had given up pacing in favour of sitting with his arms crossed tight over his chest beside Remus at the kitchen table.

"It's not all Harry's fault you know, Snape. Malfoy didn't have to take those spells for Harry; he could have shoved him out of the way and kept himself from getting hit too. It was a combination of both of their bad instincts. Don't take it all out on Harry. He already has enough of a guilt complex as it is," said Tonks. She had been present in Diagon Alley during the attack, being one of the disguised Order members on guard duty. Sure, she felt bad about the young Slytherin being in a coma, but blaming it all on Harry just wasn't fair.

Severus glared into his untouched teacup, trying to reel in the anger he wished to lash out at the young Auror. That dull niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach that had started to crop up whenever he thought about Potter came up again, agreeing fully with Tonks and angering him further. However, he managed to stay calm and even felt less tense. "Draco was only trying to help. He panicked and didn't think it through, I'll admit, but he never would have had to do that if Potter would have stayed hidden like he was supposed to. That boy has no discipline whatsoever, disobeying direct instructions that were supposed to help keep him _safe_. He's a ticking time bomb, and I'm not so sure if I'm willing to put myself at risk for someone who obviously sees his own safety as a _joke_." Severus snapped, his temper rising again.

Dumbledore gazed intently at the Potions Master, a sharp look in his eyes. "That is not an option, Severus, lest you wish to die rather than help protect him."

"I cannot always be there for him! There will be situations, circumstances where I can't get to him to help him, or what I do to try to protect him doesn't work – will I die then? How deep does this commitment go; how much do I have to lose for his sake?" Severus ended in a hiss like whisper, his voice shaking slightly with emotion.

Dumbledore leaned forward, his ice blue eyes still gazing intently at Snape. "Deeper, I think, than you've ever realized. What were the exact requirements, Severus; do you remember?"

Severus' mind immediately flashed back with stark detail to the moment when he took the Unbreakable Vow five year previous...

_Severus kneeled in front of Albus and took the elderly wizard's hand in his own. He inclined his head towards Remus to indicate that they were ready._

_Remus moved forward and touched the tip of his wand to Albus' and Severus' linked hands, waiting for Albus to initiate the Vow._

"_Will you, Severus, watch over the son of James and Lily Potter, Harry, as he attempts to fill the fated Prophecy?"_

"_I will," said Severus._

_A bright flame issued from Remus' wand and wrapped around the linked hands of Albus and Severus, swirling and causing a red glow to light the cemetery around them._

"_And will you do everything in your power to keep him alive?"_

"_I will."_

_A second lick of flame, brighter than the first and weaving like a braid with the swirling flame already in place around the two wizards' hands, slipped from the point of Remus' wand._

"_And lastly, will you protect Harry with your life, no matter what the circumstances may come to be?" Dumbledore asked, his gaze very intense as he grasped Severus' hand firmly._

_Severus hesitated for only a second, even less than that, before nodding curtly. "I will."_

_The third flame was the brightest yet, entwining with the braided flames, then soaking into the skin of Severus' and Dumbledore's hands._

"Watch over him, do everything in my power to keep him alive, and protect him with my own life, no matter what the circumstances may come to be," Severus repeated from memory, knowing the last part was exactly what Dumbledore intended for him to remember.

Dumbledore nodded once as he studied his Potions Professor. "Precisely. That last bit about 'protect him with my own life, no matter what the circumstances may come to be', that condition makes your statement null and void. Even if you do everything you possibly can for Harry, and he still dies, you will not be taken by the Vow because you fulfilled that criteria just by _trying_. It is not an impossible task; you just make it harder than it has to be."

Severus let out a long sigh as he thought that over, glancing at Remus out of the corner of his eye and catching Tonks' strange, somewhat offended look. "Why, I've always wondered, was I the only one to take this Vow, when it is the job of every Order member now?" Severus asked, the familiar question that had haunted him for a long time finally voicing itself.

Dumbledore appeared to ponder that for a few seconds before turning his gaze back to Severus. "You took that Vow because you owe it to Harry. You took that Vow because it gives you purpose, a reason to keep fighting for the light, even when your spy status was torn apart. You took that Vow, Severus, because I never want you to question your importance in this war. You and you alone took that Vow because you were the most likely to doubt your usefulness. It was a test that I had used on all of the Order members when they first joined; I asked the same thing of every single one of them. You were the only one who agreed to it straight away, no hesitation at all. That is how I knew I could rely on you to actually fulfil that Vow."

Shocked into silence, Severus looked around the table to confirm what Dumbledore had said. Remus looked like this information was nothing new, but Tonks had an incredulous expression on her face as she gaped at Snape. That pretty much confirmed it all. "You cannot be serious. I was the _only_ one who was fully willing?"

Dumbledore nodded succinctly, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Everyone else, even Remus here, hesitated for a second or two before grudgingly agreeing to it, at which time I told them it was only a test, which they had all failed. You should be honoured that you were the only one to pass, Severus."

"Oh yes, I'm just giddy with pride," Severus snapped, glaring at Remus as the werewolf tried to hide his laugh with his tea cup. He tried to let his anger radiate, pushing away the melancholy creeping up on him as he thought about Draco's still and prone form lying in a stark white hospital bed.

Just then, the kitchen door swung open slowly and Harry stepped in, his shoulders slumped and his head hung in what appeared to be shame. He had tried to sleep for the past five hours or so, but regretful thoughts, replaying memories, and deep shame marred any rest he might have gotten. He didn't dare look up, afraid to meet Snape's gaze.

Dumbledore pulled out the chair beside him and conjured a cup of tea as well as a plate of breakfast foods for Harry. "Come and have a bite to eat, Harry; you must be hungry."

Harry walked over slowly and sat down reluctantly at the table not reaching for his fork or even looking at the plate of food before him. "Not really, sir. I just couldn't sleep and didn't feel like trying anymore," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Everyone at the table, even Snape, was eyeing Harry with something akin to pity. He looked miserable, utterly exhausted, and very vulnerable. Severus rolled his eyes as he uncrossed his arms and leaned across the table towards Harry.

"Stop sulking, Potter. What you did was foolish, extremely dangerous, and childish – no one will deny that, not even Professor Dumbledore here. Instead of walking around like an inferi, perhaps you should try and help reverse the results of your actions," Severus said in a low voice, receiving shocked glances from the three other adults in the kitchen.

Harry slowly lifted his head and met Snape's eyes, feeling his stomach squirm as he realized the Potions Master was not occluding his thoughts. He took this as an invitation, as Snape would never accidently stop blocking for any reason. What Harry saw was anger, regret, sadness, and a hint of sympathy which shocked him the most. Harry blinked and looked away for a second, checking Snape's eyes and finding the usual block upon gaining his gaze again. So it had been intentional. Harry understood Snape even less now, if that was even possible. "What do you mean, sir?"

Severus sat back in his seat but refrained from crossing his arms again, trying not to seem too standoffish. "Perhaps some research. The Research Department at St. Mungo's is very busy, as Draco is not the only patient they are researching for. If you could persuade Ms. Granger to assist, you may be able to find something that will help even before the Healers do."

Harry felt his heart do a little leap at that notion of reversing his mistake. He knew Hermione wouldn't be able to resist doing research, even if it was to benefit Malfoy. "There aren't very many books here in the Black library that don't bite or turn you to stone if you open them," Harry pointed out, picking up a blueberry muffin and taking a large bite out of it.

"It is a good thing we are returning to Hogwarts a week early, then." Severus turned to Remus, who seemed to be studying Snape as if he was an interesting psychology experiment. "You'll need to escort him to gather his things, yours as well I suppose. I need to go back to St. Mungo's before leaving for the school."

"If I may be so bold, Severus, but I do believe I may be able to convince Healer Smithson to release Draco into Madam Pomfrey's care in Hogwarts' dispensary so that you may be closer to him during the school year while awaiting a solution," said Dumbledore in a very placating and gentle voice.

Severus felt himself relax minutely, not even aware that he had been so stressed by the notion of not being near Draco during the school year. "I would very much appreciate that, Albus. Thank you."

"Of course, my dear boy; of course. It is the least I could do."

Severus rolled his eyes at Dumbledore's endearment, quite used to being referred to as a _boy_, even in his thirties. To Dumbledore, he would always be that young and wayward Slytherin who was the butt of many jokes. This thought rendered guilt to rise up in Severus after thinking of all the things he had been saying and thinking about the Headmaster for the last few months. He may be meddlesome – yes – but most of the time it was for the good of others. Severus mentally shook himself, not quite willing to allow himself to wallow in these thoughts.

"I should get to the hospital now so that I may have time to pack later." Severus stood up from the table, noticing again that Potter was avoiding his gaze like the plague. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not, as his emotions seemed to be skewed and warped when it came to the young Gryffindor, which thoroughly irritated the Potions Master enough to tell himself that he was indeed still furious with the foolish boy. With a nod to Dumbledore and a glance at Remus, Severus stepped into the hearth and took a handful of floo powder from the canister. "_St. Mungo's!_"

Harry dropped the muffin he had been eating back onto the plate and pulled his tea closer, taking a deep drink. He didn't look up at the adults around the table, though he could feel their eyes on him. He suddenly felt smothered and wanted to be alone.

"Remus, may I have a word with you; privately?" Dumbledore asked as he stood from the table and gestured toward the kitchen door. He waited for Remus to pass in front of him before following him out, leaving Harry alone with Tonks.

"Are you feeling better, Harry?" Tonks asked as she leaned her elbows on the table, her chin rested on her palm. Her hair was a deep shade of purple today and fell elegantly to her shoulders, framing her pale, heart shaped face nicely.

"A bit, but not much," Harry said quietly, not sure why he was talking about it with Tonks of all people. As down to earth as she was, Harry had become increasingly annoyed with her while she had been guarding him at the cottage. Maybe it had been a combination of feeling the prisoner and being baby sat that made him irritable in the first place, not Tonks herself.

Tonks shifted her chair so that she was angled more towards Harry, which in turn scooted the chair closer so that they bumped knees under the table. "It _was_ stupid, Harry, but I don't think you're fully to blame. Don't let the guilt take you over, yeah? I'm sure they'll find a way to wake young Malfoy up; it'll just take time. Try not to let Severus get to you so much, either. It's quite unnerving to see you so frightened of him."

Harry frowned as the pushed his tea cup away from him. He looked up and caught Tonks' gaze, which seemed genuinely sympathetic. Her soft smile lit up her features more so than her usually enthusiastic expressions and Harry noticed for the first time just how beautiful she really was – at least in this form. He wandered vaguely what she looked like naturally, no modification of any kind. "I'm not really frightened, per se. I'm just...I feel like I...let him down, as odd as that sounds. I mean, why the bloody hell should I care what he thinks? But...I do, and it's tearing me up to see him so disappointed – so angry." Harry had not realized he felt that way until he said it, but even as he reeled from what he had let slip, he knew it was perfectly true.

Tonks' smile turned to a curious frown as she cocked her head to the side and studied Harry like he was an interesting piece of art on display. "Who would have thought, eh? The way Severus was being so...well, gentle isn't exactly the right word, but even though he was right livid with you, he was still so..._calm_."

Harry shrugged as he sat back in his chair, his messy hair flopping into his tired eyes. "It doesn't matter now, really. He wants nothing to do with me, and everything will be back to how it was before; Snape hates all things Potter – one summer couldn't possibly change that." Harry looked away as he felt his heart drop. "I should be used to that by now, abandonment..."

"Harry –," Tonks began, her expression one of pained sympathy and disbelief. She had even reached over and clasped her hand around one of Harry's before Remus returned to the kitchen.

"Ready to go, Harry? I think it best we get your things while Severus is still at St. Mungo's so he has a bit more time to cool off," Remus said, trying to make the situation seem less serious than it really was. He felt so torn, afraid to abandon Harry, and not willing to risk Snape's wrath if he sided with the boy instead.

Harry half shrugged, half nodded as he stood up, pulling his hand a bit reluctantly away from Tonks, who looked like she still intended to chew Harry out for his comment. "See you," he said as he followed Remus to the hearth and waited his turn to floo back to the cottage.

Remus left before Harry, giving Tonks her chance to get a word in. "You haven't been abandoned, Harry; never believe that. I'll write to you, ok? You can come to me for anything – I'll always be willing to help with whatever you need."

Harry smiled his first true smile since before the accident, though it was a pained, slightly depressed looking smile. "I'd like that. Wotcher," Harry said with a wave, his smile growing into more of a smirk as he tossed the floo powder down after stepping into the hearth. "_Snape cottage!_"

S~S~S~S

It was quiet, too quiet. The globe like lights floated over to hover above Draco's bed, illuminating the teen's pale, still features. A Healer was checking the chart clipped to the end of the bed, making comments on the parchment as she ran a few diagnostic spells. Her frown was enough information as it was, but Healer Smithson turned to Snape and said, "No change yet, Professor, but we're working really hard to find a solution, I assure you. I had an owl from Dumbledore this morning about transferring Mr. Malfoy to Hogwarts for the school year; is that still what you'd like to do?"

Severus was a bit taken aback that Dumbledore had owled the Healer about moving Draco before he had even asked him if it was what he wanted. The old wizard certainly knew Severus much better than he gave him credit for. "Yes, I would like him more accessible while I am teaching this term. The school Matron is qualified to care for him as the staff here is? Or will you or a different Healer be coming to care for him?" Severus asked, truly curious. He knew Madam Pomfrey was a very good Mediwitch, but she was not a certified Healer.

Healer Smithson propped Draco's bed up and lifted his head so she could pour a bright red potion into his mouth, using a spell to force him to swallow it all. "Poppy is qualified enough to monitor him, yes, but myself and Healer Jacobs will be stopping in from time to time to check on Mr. Malfoy and make sure he is receiving proper care and monitor his improvements and declines. We will still be working very hard here to find a solution for his situation as well. Don't worry, Professor, we'll find a way," Smithson said as she wiped away a bit of spilt potion from Draco's chin and laid his bed back down flat. She used one more diagnostic spell, frowned again, and looked at his chart. "I'll be right back, excuse me."

Severus gave a curt nod and watched the Healer bustle from the ward. She looked familiar, but not like a past student. Severus let his mind wonder over that as he stared unseeing at his godson. It finally clicked where he recognized the Healer from as Severus swam through the thick, distasteful memories of his fifth year at Hogwarts, remembering one of very few good memories in all those seven horrible years.

"_Ms. Smithson, please pair up with Mr. Snape, just for today. I'm going to start assigning partners if this keeps happening, Abigail; you cannot work with Mr. McDougal every time," Professor McGonagall said sternly as she sat the small, prickly hedgehogs on the counter before Severus and Abigail._

_Abigail gave a resigned sigh and nodded, frowning at Josh McDougal, her Ravenclaw friend and crush, over Severus' shoulder. "Yes, Ma'am."_

_Severus slumped down in his stool, which was a particularly hard task as the stool sat so high up. He glared at the twitchy little rodent before him, ignoring his textbook and not making a move to try and transfigure the animal as instructed. "Dunno why this requires partners...Bloody juvenile spell..." he muttered under his breath, his long sheet of black hair obscuring his scowling face._

_Abby sat on the stool beside Severus and flipped open to the chapter on trans-species transfiguration in her textbook, sighing heavily. This was one of her worst subjects, not to mention she was stuck with Mr. Know-It-All, who made her feel like even more of a failure. "I understand the part about changing its internal DNA before changing the body, but I dunno how you're supposed to not kill the thing before the transition. I don't want to hurt it, either..." Abby complained as she frowned pitifully at the little creatures scurrying across the marble desktop. _

_Severus huffed as he drew his wand and pointed it lazily at the hedgehog, levelling his wand so that it sat flat against his hand, palm up. "Transitus Proprius!" Severus said commandingly, watching as the hedgehog morphed into a guinea pig. He looked up and saw that Abigail looked thoroughly defeated and decided to take pity on her. "You do not understand as well as you might think. First things first, you cannot kill an animal using the trans-species morphing spell. If you do not do the spell correctly, the worst that can happen is a mixing of two different species on accident, which is illegal, but not harmful to the creature. Now, you do have to change the internal DNA first, but it is all part of the same spell. The trick is to arrange how the spell should take place in your mind first, and then be able to push that spell through, executing the steps in the correct order," Severus explained, garnering a slightly shocked, but relieved look from the too-innocent Slytherin Prefect._

"_Close your eyes and no wand for now. Think first of the description in the text about changing the animal's DNA make-up. Settle that in your mind, and then change to imagining the hedgehog morphing from itself into a guinea pig. Got it?"_

_Abigail still had her eyes closed, remembering the paragraph about DNA transfiguration before replaying the memory of just having watched Severus' hedgehog morph into a guinea pig. She nodded quickly before opening her eyes and raising her wand, holding it exactly as Severus had before. "Yes, I think so."_

"_Don't think; know. If you're not confident with your spell work, it will not be done correctly," said Severus, twirling his black wand between his long fingers. He had gone through quite the growth spurt over the Christmas holidays and was now at least six foot tall, making him tower over most of the boys in his and the next year up._

_Abigail concentrated as hard as she could, the spell arranged in her mind in the correct order. She stared at the hedgehog for a few seconds, replaying how the spell sounded over and over in her head. "Transitus Proprius!" Abby held her breath as she waited for the change to take place. As the hedgehog's quills started to recede into its skin and the musculature morphed into that of a guinea pig, Abby let out a squeal of triumph and unthinkingly jumped from her stool and hugged Severus hard around the middle. _

_The entire fifth year Transfiguration class stared openly as Severus turned bright red and sat stock still, the Slytherin Prefect still wrapped tightly around him in gratitude. A few seconds passed in silence until Professor McGonagall came over and tapped Abby on the shoulder, making her open her eyes and realize what she was doing. She jumped back as if burned, her cheeks a nice shade of rosy red as well as she averted her eyes from everyone in the room._

"_Very good job Abby, Mr. Snape. Twenty points to Slytherin for two successful trans-species morphing spells."_

_Abby smiled lightly as she returned to her stool, still not looking at anyone as she closed her textbook and waited impatiently for the bell to ring. When it did, she took off as fast as she could, being first out of the classroom and leaving Severus to stash away the hedgehogs-turned-guinea pigs in the cages up at the front._

_Later that evening just before dinner, it was Abby's shift to make rounds in the dungeon corridors, checking for trouble makers and wayward students. Abby turned the corner to head along the path back to the Slytherin common room when she ran into somebody who had been watching their feet as they walked._

_Severus toppled over, sending Abigail crashing to the ground as well and unluckily ending up on top of the Prefect. He lifted his weight off of her as quickly as he could, his cheeks burning hotly as he stared down at her. _

_Abby couldn't move, her body still half pinned by Severus' weight, not to mention his arms were boxing her in on either side. She looked up at him, intending to yell for him to get off of her and get lost, but the blush on his cheeks, and the slight sparkle in his surprisingly blue eyes caught her off guard. She lifted a hand with some difficulty and swept his long black hair out of his face and behind his ear, feeling that is was not greasy as it appeared, but slick with what could have been hair gel. She could tell he was frozen with fear and uncertainty as he tensed up, his eyes boring into hers. Without really thinking it through, or allowing herself to think about just who this person was, Abby leaned up on her elbows and pressed her lips to his, receiving absolutely no response for a long few seconds. After what felt like years, Severus began to return the pressure on her lips, kissing Abigail back tentatively._

_It all happened so quickly, and ended just as quickly as they heard footsteps just ahead getting ready to turn the corner. Jumping up quickly and helping Abby to her feet, Severus brushed off his robes and tried to look innocent as Regulus Black walked by on his way to the common room. They both waited until they were sure no one was around before speaking simultaneously._

"_Sorry about –," said Snape._

"_Thanks for –," Abby started._

_They both blushed and looked away from each other, the air starting to feel suffocatingly thick. Abby was the first to recover as she looked back up at Severus in the dark, dank dungeon corridor. "Thanks for helping me in class today; I would never have gotten that spell otherwise. You should think about a career in teaching; you're good at it."_

_Severus smiled shyly, garnering a smile from the Slytherin Prefect as well. "You're welcome. I don't think teaching would be my thing. You see, I hate teenagers, and they tend to hate me as well, so it just wouldn't work. Besides, if I taught anything, it would be potions."_

_Abby giggled, surprised to hear the usually subdued Slytherin crack a joke, however hidden it was. "So you're saying you hate yourself? You are still a teenager, you know."_

_Severus nodded, feeling his heartbeat quicken as Abigail giggled. "Yes, precisely; I'm my own reason for hating teenagers. Honestly, would you want to teach yourself?"_

"_No, not really. I'd get frustrated with how impossibly stupid I was and give up long before I taught myself anything," Abby said with another giggle, feeling strangely comfortable talking so openly to her mysterious housemate._

"_You're not stupid, Abby," Severus said quietly, the playful air sucked out of the conversation now. He felt slightly panicked as Abigail stared at him, wondering if he had somehow offended her by defending her intelligence. _

_Abby felt her stomach churn wildly as she stared up at the much taller Severus, wondering how someone so sweet could be so misunderstood. She snapped out of her reverie as students began to flood out of the common room and towards the steps leading up to the Entrance Hall for dinner. "We should go eat. Want to sit with me?" Abby asked tentatively, not wanting to push herself onto him too much._

"_Er....yeah, sure," Severus said, nodding for Abby to take the lead, ignoring the curious stares they were receiving from fellow Slytherins of all ages. He smiled lightly at Abby as she walked beside him, flooding into the Great Hall with the rest of the school as the smell of a wonderful Hogwarts dinner wafted heavily against their senses. It was the first meal Severus had not spent isolated in a long time._

Severus was brought back to the present as Healer Smithson returned to the ward, looking slightly harried and exhausted on top of it all. She held out a few sheets of parchment to Severus as she fished around in her pockets for a quill. "Here you are, just some forms saying you authorize and approve of Mr. Malfoy's relocation and that you're taking responsibility for all expenses as his legal guardian." She finally found a Never-out quill in her back pocket, handing it over to Snape so he could sign the forms.

"Thanks, Abigail," Severus said, pretending to read the forms as he waited for the Healer's reaction to his remembering her. He looked up after quickly signing both sheets and found the Healer smirking at him, her eyes sparkling even in the dim light of the ward.

"I was wondering when you'd snap to. It's been a long time, Severus, but I never thought you would forget about me," Abby said as she took the offered forms and quill back from her former classmate.

Severus nodded slightly feeling very old as he tried to _not_ calculate how many years ago it had truly been. "I didn't forget about you, it was a momentary lapse of memory. It has indeed been a long time. I never knew you had ambitions to be a Healer."

Abigail shrugged as she leaned against the wall beside Draco's bed, her arms crossed over her chest as her red hair fell across her shoulders as if it was tired itself. "I didn't, really. I didn't have the N.E.W.T.s for it either, but I attended a special post-traditional training school for mediwizardry and was certified seven years ago. I must say I was shocked to hear about you teaching at Hogwarts after your incessant claims that teaching 'wasn't your thing'."

"Yes, well, being a father isn't really 'my thing' either, but things have a funny way of forcing themselves into your life. The boy is my godson; I never intended to become his sole guardian. I remember a girl who started last year, Slytherin who looks like a misplaced Weasley, much like you did. I can't remember her name; might she be a relative?" Severus asked, knowing full well that Carly Smithson was almost certainly Abigail's daughter.

Abby smiled as she nodded gently. "That's my little Carly. Can't believe I have a twelve year old daughter; makes me feel older than running into old boyfriends so many years later. I nearly died laughing when she came home in June ranting and raving about how scary and mean her new Head of House was. She of course thought I was laughing at her and didn't speak to me for a week, claiming that 'he has to be a vampire, mum, he has to be!'"

Severus rolled his eyes and shook his head exasperatedly. "Yes, kids say the damndest things, don't they? I'm sure you did get quite a laugh out of it, but maybe little Carly should be careful what she says to her mother if she's going to report to the scary vampire what she said about him."

Abigail snorted in laughter, covering her mouth quickly and unnecessarily as they were in a ward full of coma patients. She waited for her laughter to subside before letting her hand fall, a wide smile still on her face. "Same old Severus I remember, I see. Well, I'm glad I ran into you, and I do hope your son – godson – begins to improve quickly. I'll be sure to tell Carly you're indeed not a blood-sucking undead soul," Abby said in amusement.

Severus smiled and nodded, standing up from his seat and gently sweeping Draco's hair out of his eyes before turning back to the Healer. "Thank you, Abby. When will he be transferred? I'm going to go pack now so that I may return to the school tonight."

Abigail walked over and snagged the chart once more, making another quick note on the parchment before looking back up at Snape. "I just scheduled the transfer for tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock. I'll be there to help get him settled and to debrief Poppy about his care. See you tomorrow?" she said, her smirk a bit mischievous and her deep green eyes keen.

Severus felt his stomach flutter as if he were still a fifteen year old boy in the midst of going through puberty once more. "Yes, I will see you tomorrow. Good day, Abby."

"See ya, Sev."

S~S~S~S

Back at Snape Cottage, Harry was getting a whole lot of nothing done as Remus packed his own belongings that had managed to get strewn across the small house. He sat on his still-transfigured bed, staring down at his shiny new Hogwarts trunk. The engraved letters seemed to mock him as he wanted so bad to reject the trunk, to have his old beat up trunk back because it had not been a gift from Snape. It had not been a sort of peace offering, building a bridge where hot, angry lava had previously boiled in hatred. He didn't have very many things to begin with, but his new trunk sat completely empty, his clothes, the Marauder's map and his invisibility cloak lying on the bed beside him. He had intended to pack, but seeing the trunk sitting there, innocently waiting to be filled, made him feel physically ill. This somewhat masked gift of what could have been forgiveness felt tainted; Harry didn't deserve it after what he had done, after he had hurt the Potions Professor. Though Snape used anger to convey it, Harry knew he was truly hurt, too.

Remus came out of the bedroom, where he was flipping through Severus' clothes to make sure none of his own had been mistakenly mixed in with them. He located a few of his missing books as he walked by a book shelf and stopped mid-walk as he saw Harry staring down at his still-closed trunk, his belongings sitting beside him instead. "Harry? What are you doing? I'm almost done."

Harry blinked and shook his head, finally coming out of his depressing reverie as Remus spoke to him. "Sorry...Started thinking and lost track of time," he claimed, knowing he should just open up the trunk and dump his belongings in, but hesitating anyways.

Remus walked over and sat on the bed beside Harry, sensing that something was off kilter. The nice, expensive looking trunk Severus had given Harry lay at his feet, untouched and waiting to be used. "I know things are hard right now, Harry, and that you blame yourself for what happened, but you cannot let the guilt consume you. As Severus said, you need to turn this negative energy into positive and try to help instead of wallowing in guilt. I know how it feels to be so consumed by guilt you can hardly do anything else. I foolishly let it take me over, and I lost much of my life and happiness because I let myself fall into that trap. Please don't let it take you over as well. Severus is upset, yes, and he will continue to be for a while, but things will level out; they always do."

"Snape has always hated me. This summer, something changed between us – shifted. He respected me and I him. I think we finally understood each other for once, and I went and bollixed it all up. I could have killed Draco...Whatever understanding we had before is gone now, and I don't think I can fix it again." Harry looked up at Remus, his eyes red-rimmed and haunted looking. "Why do I care so damn much, and why does it hurt so bad?"

Remus wrapped an arm around Harry and pulled the teen closer, encasing him in a half hug. "Because, Harry, despite your history with Severus, you formed a special connection with him. He saved your life, and you gave him something to focus on when he felt like he was useless to Dumbledore, to the Order, to _you_. After losing his spy status, he felt he could no longer help protect you, but he was wrong; he's been protecting you just by allowing you to stay here all summer. As little as he may show it, and he'll probably never admit it, you gave him hope, Harry."

Harry leaned heavily against Remus as he pulled out his wand and spelled his things to pack themselves into the new trunk, the lid closing with a heavy thud as his things arranged themselves inside. "That may have been, Remus, but it's gone now."

Remus was about to protest once more, but the hearth in the bedroom lit up the walls in green as someone came through the floo. Severus walked out of the bedroom and spotted Remus clutching Harry, who looked miserable and defeated, close to him. That familiar twinge in his chest fluttered a bit more, but he pushed it down, ignoring it. His mood had been marginally improved from running into Abigail, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

"Remus, may I have a quick word with you?" Severus asked, ignoring Harry and indicating that Remus should follow him into the potions lab.

Remus gave Harry another quick squeeze and a reassuring pat on the shoulder before standing up and following the Potions Master into the lab, closing the door carefully behind him.

Severus pulled out his wand and quickly put a few warding and silencing spells on the door before turning to his work desk, which was mostly taken over by a potion trunk. He flipped open the clasps and the spring loaded lid flew open, revealing row upon row of large potions bottles, each labelled with a specific date. "This should be enough potions for the remainder of this year, and all of next. You need to begin taking the potion on the specific date on the bottle, taking a third of it each of the three days before the full moon in order for it to work correctly. I've actually made a few modifications to it, adding a mild sedative and pain reliever that should go into effect on the third night before the full moon, hopefully making the transformation easier to bear. There is a stasis spell on each bottle as well, so that it is always fresh. I thought this would be much easier than having to brew it for you every month."

Remus was shocked speechless as he stared at the trunk full of gleaming bottles. He stepped forward and traced a scarred finger along the spherical bottle, feeling the warmth of the potion through the thick glass. As simple as it seemed, aside from his friends becoming Animagi for him, this was the sweetest thing anyone had done for him. He turned to Severus, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "Thank you, Severus. This is...incredibly thoughtful and helpful. Thank you so much..." Remus pulled Severus into a hug, a tear sliding down his cheek.

Severus hugged Remus back, feeling slightly uncomfortable for the first time with being so intimately close to a man. Having run into his first girlfriend from Hogwarts mere minutes ago, Severus' mind wanted to latch on to his heterosexuality and pull him away from these feelings for Remus. He felt an internal battle begin that he was sure would not be resolved for a long time if he had to see both Remus and Abigail on a regular basis. He began to pull away, easily being released from the hug, only to be kissed passionately, reminding him of the strength of his feelings for Remus as he enthusiastically kissed him back. It was definitely going to be an interesting school year.

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**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think!

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Up next in **Ch 14. Evil Twin**:

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"Sir, are you feeling alright?" Harry asked as he took a step forward towards the Potions Master.

Severus took a step forward and felt the room tip dangerously around him. He leaned forward heavily against his desk, sending a stack of parchments cascading to the floor. If not for Harry's quick movements, he would surely have fallen over, but instead was being held up by the surprisingly strong Gryffindor. "Apparently not," he muttered in an annoyed fashion, trying to regain his balance and support his own weight again.

With help from Harry, Snape was sitting back in his office chair behind his desk, breathing like he had just run a mile. Harry stood next to the chair, hovering over Snape, more worried than was healthy for someone who was supposed to hate him. "Do you need anything, sir?"

"A glass of firewhiskey and a good night's sleep, but that's beside the point."


	14. Evil Twin

**A/N: **I'm soooo sorry for the really long wait for this chapter! I've hired on a beta, and I've been waiting for him to catch up with all of the posted chapters so he could beta this chapter, but he's a bit overwhelmed with school at the moment. I figured a month was already plenty of a wait, so the next chapter will be beta'd! If it makes anyone feel better, I have up to the middle of chapter 18 written out, so there's plenty of story to look forward to! Enjoy!

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**Ch 14.  
Evil Twin**

Harry sighed deeply as he sat on the edge of his four-poster in the Gryffindor sixth year dorms. It felt cold, even though the temperature was comfortable. The walls were bare and the other beds empty, making the dorm feel distinctly unlike home when usually, this was the only place Harry _could_ call home. The trunk that he had been so reluctant to pack and bring along sat at the foot of his bed, unopened and abandoned. Harry still hadn't changed into his night clothes, nor had he gone down for dinner. In fact, he was trying to avoid everyone all together by locking himself up in Gryffindor Tower.

Slipping off his trainers and ignoring pyjamas all together, Harry lay back on his bed atop the covers, staring up at the crimson canopy above him. He'd never felt so lonely before, even with all the years and summers he had spent at the Dursley's. He realized after awhile that he wasn't just lonely; he wanted to talk to Draco. Harry had grown quite use to having Draco there, making him not feel so awkward or alone in his isolation at Snape Cottage. He'd actually grown to like the Slytherin as a friend. Draco had not quite been himself that summer, which was most likely do to his mother's brutal murder and his own sexual abuse. As unfortunate as it all was, Harry had liked the change. Now Draco was lying alone in a stiff hospital bed, not likely to ever wake again – and it was Harry's fault.

Harry wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. He remembered feeling tears rolling down the sides of his face and soaking into his pillow, and then something shifted. He was looking into a blazing hearth, a cold glass held in his hand. Someone knelt on the carpet before him, their hood pulled up far enough to obscure their face. Harry heard a faint hissing and looked down at the massive snake curling around his feet.

"_Patience, my darling...You will get him soon after I am done with him..._" He hissed slowly in elegant Parseltongue to the agitated serpent.

"Please...I beg you! I tried, we tried! I was not the only one to fail, my Lord. Please!" The figure begged in a rasping, deep male voice. He shuffled closer to Harry on his knees, his head still bent down to avoid meeting Harry's eyes.

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders to go in full disguise, _and_ you blatantly attacked Potter's little friends right in front of him. It was supposed to be a stealthy attack, not an obvious ambush! You were in charge of the mission, Briggs, even though Bellatrix would have gladly fronted the attack, I put you in charge. If Ellings wasn't already dead, he'd be here with you as well. This is the last time you will displease me," Harry snapped in a high-pitched voice full of venom. He raised his wand, pointing it directly at Briggs' heart. "_Crucio!_"

Briggs curled up into a ball with an ear splitting shriek and fell to the floor, writhing as he screamed in agony. Harry let this go on for nearly ten minutes before lifting the spell with a flick of his wand. He gave the man a few seconds to gather himself so that he could kneel once more, taking pity on him so that he could at least die a dignified death on his knees before his Lord instead of a crumpled mess on the floor. "_Avada Kedavra!_" Harry hissed. The bright green light of the killing curse hit Briggs squarely in the chest, sending him flying back a few feet with a dull thud.

"_Dinner is served, Nagini..._"

Harry awoke with a gasp on his lips and cold sweat dampening his brow. He felt around for his glasses on his bedside table and shoved them on with trembling hands. Not wanting to fall back asleep and return to Voldemort's mind, Harry sat up and got out of bed, unsure of what he was doing or where he was going. He needed a distraction, possibly someone to tell what had happened. He didn't think it was a very significant happenstance that Voldemort had killed one of his Death Eaters, but he was sure the Order would like to know anyways. Without realizing it, Harry ended up in the dungeons, outside the Potions Master's office. Feeling like he should definitely avoid this confrontation, Harry made to turn around and head up to see if Remus was still up, when he ran directly into Snape.

Severus grasped Harry's shoulder to steady him as the Gryffindor merely bounced off of him. "Potter, what are you doing down here in the middle of the night?" he asked, his voice sounding more tired than angry.

Harry gulped as he tried to shrug Snape's hand of his shoulder. This was exactly what he _didn't_ want to happen. Figuring he may as well tell Snape since he was an Order member, Harry gestured towards Snape's office door. "Can I talk to you, sir? I...I had a dream. Well, not really a dream. I saw into Voldemort's mind again."

Severus had not expected that, of all things, nor had he expected Harry to seek _him_ out after having such a dream. "Alright, come in, Potter." Severus opened the office door after undoing all of the warding and locking spells on it, his paranoia in full swing after his trying summer. He walked behind his desk and sat down, gesturing for Harry to take the seat in front of the desk. "First things first; why were you not occluding your mind? You've not been having trouble with that, have you?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his stiff-backed chair, feeling like he was somehow falling into a trap. "No, I haven't really been having trouble at all. I just...got distracted tonight. I was thinking about...things, and I fell asleep without bringing up my block first. I still haven't been able to keep up a constant block like Draco was trying to teach me." Harry blushed and ducked his head, regretting mentioning Draco at all to Snape. He was almost positive Snape was still murderous about what he had done, and fully expected to be denied help now.

Severus sighed tiredly as he sat back in his chair, his hand on his chin. Ever since that morning with running into Abigail, Severus had been unable to find the venom in himself to rant and rave at Harry. "We'll chalk it up to stress and leave it at that. Do you remember what you saw in this...vision?" Severus asked, trying very hard to avoid confrontation; he was too tired to fight right now.

Harry let out a relieved breath and nodded slowly, the memory of the dream assaulting his mind yet again. "I don't really think it's that important, but I thought you'd like to know anyways. Voldemort was torturing one of the Death Eaters that Remus and Draco saw in Diagon Alley. He was yelling at him for failing, and for going without their Death Eater disguises on. He said that he would have killed Ellings too, but he was already dead. He...he killed Briggs and...fed him to Nagini," Harry said with a grimace, his stomach churning at the memory of that horrible act.

Severus blinked a few times before recovering himself. "You witnessed _all_ of this?" he asked, hoping that Harry only assumed the giant snake belonging to the Dark Lord had eaten Briggs.

"Everything," said Harry, his nausea increasing slightly. He didn't realize he had been clutching his stomach until Snape stood up, looked around in a cabinet for a second, then held out a stomach calming draught to him. "Thanks."

Severus sat back down behind his desk, his hands clasped in front of him. Harry was right, it wasn't really of that much importance that the Dark Lord had killed one of his own, but knowing that nothing the Dark Lord did was insignificant, Severus began to analyze the situation. "There was nothing else of significance that you can think of?"

Harry shook his head, casting his mind back once again. The only thing he hadn't told Snape yet was Voldemort's comment about Bellatrix, but again, he didn't think that was anything important either. "Not really. He did say that he had put Briggs in charge, despite Bellatrix being willing to head the mission herself. I don't understand why Voldemort would have chosen an outer circle Death Eater when he could have used his inner-circle pet to head such an important mission."

Severus smirked at Harry's description of Bellatrix and his surprisingly intelligent insight. "I believe the Dark Lord refrained from sending his prized inner-circle pet, as you described her, because he was trying to protect her." Something clicked in his mind and it all fell into place, making him sit up straighter and scoot his chair back with a loud scrapping noise. "It was a setup. That was not the first time Ellings and Briggs had failed to follow orders correctly, and he knew they would either be captured or killed. He knew you and Draco would be there getting your school things because he intercepted your letters; that's why they came so late. He knew you would sacrifice yourself to save your friends, and that Draco was with you. He planned this all to try and get rid of Draco once and for all...to punish me."

Harry sat gaping at the Potions Master, trying to process all the information he had just learned. "How could you possibly know that? I don't understand –"

"I know because that is how the Dark Lord works. It all makes sense now after what you've told me of your dream. I believe the dream may have even been staged, or at least purposely shown to you. I need to go speak with Dumbledore." Severus stood up and moved towards the door, then stopped and turned back to look at Harry. "Stay here; I'm not done with you."

Harry nodded and stayed put, fearing what else exactly Snape was going to have to say to him. Was he somehow going to blame Harry for the setup? Harry stood up and started pacing around the office, his nerves stopping him from sitting still.

Ten minutes passed before the door to Snape's office opened once more, though to Harry it felt like hours. He stopped in his pacing and turned towards Snape, who looked almost faintly exhausted now. Harry was almost tempted to help the man to his chair, but figured that Snape's pride would not appreciate that. However, when Snape stepped into the candle light, Harry saw that the man was dramatically more pale than usual, and that was saying something.

"Sir, are you feeling alright?" Harry asked as he took a step forward towards the Potions Master.

Severus took a step forward and felt the room tip dangerously around him. He leaned forward heavily against his desk, sending a stack of parchments cascading to the floor. If not for Harry's quick movements, he would surely have fallen over, but instead was being held up by the surprisingly strong Gryffindor. "Apparently not," he muttered in an annoyed fashion, trying to regain his balance and support his own weight again.

With help from Harry, Snape was sitting back in his office chair behind his desk, breathing like he had just run a mile. Harry stood next to the chair, hovering over Snape, more worried than was healthy for someone who was supposed to hate him. "Do you need anything, sir?"

"A glass of firewhiskey and a good night's sleep, but that's beside the point. Headmaster Dumbledore agrees with my findings that the ambush in Diagon Alley was a setup. Every last detail...The bastard knew exactly what would happen, though he did expect Draco to die, not fall into a coma. I should have seen this coming, I should have listened to Remus and left you and Draco at the cottage, but I didn't. I let this happen, and here I am blaming you for trying to protect the people you care about, when that's what I failed to do myself," Severus said, his head cradled tiredly in his palm.

Harry frowned at the Potions Professor, feeling strangely liberated by his words. It sounded as if Snape was removing the blame from Harry and placing it upon himself in a fit of self-depreciation. Harry wasn't sure if he should consider that a good thing or not. "Sir, I don't really think you should blame yourself either. There was no way either of us could have known it was a setup. Not even Dumbledore knew, and he's supposed to be the all-knowing Leader of the Light. It's as simple as this; the whole thing was an accident on our part, but intentional on Voldemort's. The only person you should be blaming is him," Harry said in a matter of fact way. Maybe he was feeling brave and that's why he wasn't cowering away from Snape like any other sane person would have, but he felt like he needed to reassure Snape that Draco's current situation was not his fault; otherwise, who else was going to save the Potions Master from himself?

Severus felt distinctly wrong footed, being comforted by Harry Potter of all people. What was the world coming to, and how did he end up in this strange position to start with? Ah, the Vow - that's how it all started. Well, if Severus were honest with himself, it started with his love-sick promise to his dead best friend, but then again he was not bound to that under penalty of death like the Vow he had taken with Dumbledore. He had essentially dug his own grave, and now he had to lie in it, with Harry at his shoulder for the foreseeable future. Oh what a grand existence it was.

"Please stop hovering over me, Potter. As much as I may have needed your assistance before, I am sure I can take care of myself now." Severus sat back in his chair and waited for Potter to move to the chair across from him, having to prompt him to move by a raised eyebrow and an annoyed gesture towards said seat.

"I appreciate your, shall we say, _passionate_ defending of my pride, but I am mature enough to take responsibility for my mistakes. I did not do my job as a godfather properly, and it is partially my fault that Draco is lying comatose in the infirmary; I will not take full credit if that will make you feel better."

"Not really, sir, but I do kind of understand where you're coming from. It's my fault as well; I should never have exposed myself like that. It's just, sometimes when I see people I care about in danger, I don't think about the repercussions of my actions; I just act. It's definitely a character flaw, I'll admit that. I am truly sorry, Professor; I never meant for Draco to get hurt, and I'll do everything I can to try and fix it," Harry said in earnest. He couldn't stand to feel Snape's disappointment in him for much longer, as strange as that notion was.

Severus nodded curtly, finally willing to let his venomous attitude towards Harry go in favour of a truce. After all, if he had to be stuck with the righteous Gryffindor for the remainder of the war, they might as well be stuck together in peace rather than hate. "Thank you, Harry, for admitting to your mistake and apologizing for it. I must admit that I was a little too harsh with you, but you must understand that Draco is all I have left in this world, and vice versa; any parent would have overreacted accordingly. However, it was not only Draco I failed to protect. You were my responsibility as well, and if not for Draco's uncharacteristic self-sacrifice, you would be in Draco's place now. As unfortunate as it is that he is injured and may never recover, it would have been more devastating a blow if it were you in the coma."

Harry opened his mouth to argue right away, immediately feeling like he needed to defend Draco since the Slytherin could not defend himself. Besides, why would Snape say such a thing about his own godson? However, Snape raised a hand to silence Harry before he could say a word.

"Before you say anything, I already know that you will wish to deny this, to claim that you are no more important than my godson, but that is the main reason why I know now that I have mistaken your humbleness for cockiness; you don't even realize how important you are, and you do not want the fame that comes with your prophesized duties. You are the very essence of selflessness; your hero-complex, or saving-people-thing, as it has been christened, is a perfect example of such. I would never admit to such a thing if I did not believe fully in it, and you have known me long enough to know that is the truth."

Harry felt his chest ache strangely at Snape's words. He'd only ever felt that pain when Sirius had expressed pride in him, or when Remus acted fatherly towards him. He felt buoyed by Snape's confession, and it worried him that he felt like he _needed_ that feeling from the Potions Master to survive. "Thank you, sir. I…You're right, I don't want the fame – I never have, and never will. I mean, if it ends up being useful in the war as a sort of propaganda technique, then I guess I'll use it to my advantage, but other than that, I wish everyone would just let me live my life in peace. Especially Rita Skeeter."

"Yes, she is a piece of work, Rita. I'm glad you take using your fame as propaganda as an option. It could very well help the Order, your incredible level of influence in the Ministry and Wizarding world in general." Severus sighed deeply as he glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. "Well, Harry, is there anything else you wish to discuss? I've been up for nearly forty-eight hours already, and there's an important staff meeting tomorrow that I must attend."

Harry shook his head as he made to stand up and head towards the office door to leave Snape in peace for the night. "No, Professor, I think that's all for now. Sorry for keeping you up even later," Harry said apologetically as he walked backwards to the door, his exhaustion starting to catch up with him as he mentally protested all the many flights of stairs he was going to have to climb to get back to his own dormitory in Gryffindor Tower.

"It is no matter. In fact, I am glad you came to me after witnessing such a thing, as much as I wish you would learn to constantly block your mind. Perhaps after the year is started and my psyche is more recovered, I can start teaching you again in Draco's place. If you should have another vision, do not hesitate to seek me out once more, no matter the time," said Severus, his firm tone not giving away just how exhausted he was.

"I will, sir; thank you. Do you need anything before I go?" Harry asked, thinking maybe he should help Snape to his quarters, but, again, feeling like he should spare the man's pride and only help if asked directly. The mixed emotions swimming in his stomach were starting to make him feel queasy again. As much as he wanted to hate this man, to blame him for any number of things, Harry was finding that harder and harder to do.

Severus shook his head as he stood and bent down to collect the parchments he had displaced earlier. His trip up the stairs to Dumbledore's office and back down was what took so much out of him, but after his short rest, he felt good enough to straighten up his office and get to bed on his own just fine. He felt disconcertingly touched that Harry was willing to help him so much, and he tried to squash down that warm feeling as much as he could, fearing he was going much too soft after caring for the boy. "I'm fine, Harry. Get to bed; you must be as exhausted as I am."

Harry nodded in tired agreement as he turned towards the door and turned the rickety handle, pulling the heavy dungeon door open. He looked back at Snape, who was standing up once more and arranging the parchment on his desk in a distracted way. "Goodnight, Professor."

"Goodnight, Harry," Severus said quietly, feeling even more agitated and frightened as the boys' given name no longer sounded like a foreign curse on his tongue.

S~S~S~S

The next morning, technically five hours after Severus' chat with Harry, all of the Hogwarts staff gathered together in the staff room for the beginning of term staff meeting. Professor Sprout was leaning towards Professor Sinistra, whispering about Remus' return to the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. Professor Trelawney was staring around the room, her highly magnified glasses making her look even more alien than she acted. Professors Flitwick and McGonagall were chatting merrily about plans for a Winter Ball, while Hagrid was debating with Madame Hooch about whether or not to use the ten foot or twenty foot pumpkins for the Halloween feast.

Severus sat down beside Remus, who smiled lightly at him. He leaned a bit closer to the Potions Master and whispered, "You look like death warmed over, Severus. Did you get any sleep last night at all?"

Severus straightened his robes around him agitatedly, wishing he was still in his bed instead of attending the same exact meeting Dumbledore held every term. He glared slightly at Remus and took a quick look around to see if anyone noticed him conversing with the werewolf. Speaking with new staff like he was an old friend was distinctly un-Snape-like behaviour, and he felt like he had already gone too soft as it was with his changing relationship with Harry…Potter, whoever the boy was. He needed to keep up his reputation, after all. "Thanks, Lupin – likewise. I slept a few hours after dealing with Potter's excursion into Voldemort's mind yet again last night," Severus said, trying to sound like it had been a nuisance, when really, he didn't mind helping Harry out, as he had learned of the setup because of it.

Remus' eyebrow shot up questioningly, but before he could say anything, Dumbledore stood from the head of the table and raised his hand slowly to quiet down all of the Professors.

"Thank you all for being here for the start of term staff meeting. It's the usual business most of you hear every year, but we have a new staff member this year." Dumbledore gestured to Remus, who nodded in recognition.

"As most of you are aware, Remus has indeed taught here before, but because of some…bad press, shall we say, he could not continue on with us. However, with the Wizengamot's surprisingly fair new Legislation for Wizards who suffer from Lycanthropy, it is now illegal to refuse employment to Mr. Lupin based on his condition. A letter has been sent out to all the parents explaining this new law, and I am happy to say that only two students have been withdrawn from Hogwarts and switched to Durmstrang, and they were first years to start this year. So, let us discuss some upcoming events and a few tweaks in rules for House points, then we'll have some lunch!"

An hour later, the staff room emptied out quickly as everyone headed off to a hearty Hogwarts lunch. Remus purposely hung back to wait for Severus, who was approaching Dumbledore.

"Sir, I was wondering if I may speak with you about Potter sometime after lunch," said Severus, his arms crossed over his chest in a standoffish way. He wasn't in the best of moods being sleep deprived, and what he wanted to discuss with Dumbledore was already weighing on most of his patience. However, he had made up his mind and he couldn't bring himself to change it now.

Dumbledore fixed his half-moon spectacles on the bridge of his nose as he gathered up a few folders full of parchment and straightened them in his hands. He looked up at Severus and fixed him with his piercing gaze for a few minutes before nodding curtly. "I'm sure I can find some time for you, Severus. Speaking of Mr. Potter, he skived off breakfast this morning. Is everything alright after his dream last night?"

"He probably just slept in, as it was nearly four in the morning when he returned to his dorm. I'm sure he'll come down for lunch. If not, maybe Remus would be willing to go and coax him out of his hiding place and join the living," Severus said, sounding difficult with his bad mood coming through quite clearly.

Dumbledore just smiled and nodded at Severus and Remus before leaving the staff room, his eccentric blue robes sweeping the ground behind him.

Remus stood with his hip leaning against the long table in the centre of the room, looking expectantly at Snape. "So, what happened last night?"

Severus leaned back against the wall, his arms still crossed over his chest. He was still utterly exhausted, but at least he was standing steady on his feet. "I was on my way down to my office after leaving your quarters last night after dinner. When I got down there, Potter was standing in front of my office door, looking like a unicorn caught with a Lumos. He said he had a dream about Voldemort, so I took him into my office and spoke with him about it. I realized after he told me what he'd seen that the attack in Diagon Alley was most definitely a setup. I went to consult Dumbledore about my discovery and he agrees with me. He said he's meeting with the Order Aurors tomorrow to discuss it with them, whatever that means."

"You left my room at one. You said it was nearly four when Harry went back to bed, just now. You talked to him for four hours? Is he alright?" Remus asked curiously, finding it difficult to believe Harry would willingly spend that much time in Snape's presence, and vice versa.

"Well, he described the dream to me, which made him a bit sick, then after my epiphany about the setup, I went to speak with Dumbledore and was gone for about fifteen minutes, and when I came back, I had a discussion with Potter. Suffice it to say we have reached a truce, or else I have decided to stop blaming him for what happened to Draco. Yes, we talked for a long time, and as far as I know, he's perfectly fine." Severus purposely left out the part where he was so exhausted he nearly collapsed and Harry had to help him to his chair. Remus had told him the night before that he should get to bed because he hadn't slept in so long, but Severus had opted to stay with him for a bit longer.

Remus blinked a few times in shock before taking a few steps towards Snape with a soft smile on his face. "Did you really forgive him? You weren't being an arse to him the whole time?"

Severus bristled a bit and his glare let it be known that he was annoyed. "Forgiving and forgetting are two different things, Remus. I'm still trying to convince myself that it was the Dark Lord's fault, not Harry's; give me some time. I was not an arse to him at all, in fact. I was much too exhausted to be venomous." Oops, shouldn't have let that slip.

"I _told_ you to go to bed straight after dinner last night, but you refused! You're still exhausted even now. I want you to eat a quick lunch and get to bed; it's not healthy for you be sleep deprived," Remus said in a commanding voice, hoping that Snape would actually listen to him this time.

"Are you calling me old, Lupin?"

"No, I'm calling you recently injured and still recovering. Your body cannot heal itself if you do not sleep, Severus. You've nothing else to do today, correct?"

Severus shook his head and sighed deeply, wishing that he could just simply go back to sleep so he wouldn't have to see Draco's pale and still form again. "Abigail is transferring Draco to the Hogwarts infirmary this afternoon. I told her I'd be there to oversee. Besides, I want to be briefed on what exactly Poppy is to do for him so I know what's being administered."

Remus cocked an eyebrow at the Potions Professor, feeling like he should know the name Abigail, and failing to remember from where. "Abigail? You've never been one to use first names, Sev. Someone you know well?"

Severus fought to keep the blush from staining his cheeks as he remembered just how well he _knew_ Abigail. He regained control of himself and nodded curtly. "She's an old friend from Hogwarts. I'm sure you remember her; she was the Slytherin female Prefect. You probably knew her from your duties."

Remus bit his lip in thought as he tried to cast his mind that far back into his past. It only took a moment for realization to hit. "Abby Smithson? The one who people always thought was Lily's evil twin? I didn't realize you'd been friends with her back then," Remus reminisced with a small chuckle. Abby had actually been a very kind girl, but being a Slytherin and looking strikingly similar to Lily, she was always dubbed 'the evil twin'.

Severus let a small smile trace his lips as he nodded with a quiet laugh of his own. "Yes, that Abby. I became very good friends with her after...after the falling out between Lily and myself. I didn't even realize it was her until yesterday morning when I went to speak with her about transferring Draco. She never seemed like the Healer type, as she was dreadful at potions, from what I can remember." Severus stopped speaking as he realized he was rambling on. He knew if he continued, it would be abundantly obvious just how good of friends they had been.

Remus smiled knowingly at the Potions Professor, not quite as dim witted as Severus tended to believe he was. Besides, with the full moon approaching, Remus could smell the pheromones coming in waves off of Snape when he talked about Abigail. "You sound quite _fond_ of Healer Smithson," Remus drawled, trying to bait the uneasily baited man.

Severus let a slight blush slide as he averted his eyes a bit, not aware that that had been a dead giveaway. "Well, she was practically my only true friend after Lily did away with me. She saved me those last two and a half years." Severus' blush deepened as he realized what he had said. He cleared his throat and proceeded to pretend like he had not said anything. "We should see if Harry is at lunch, and if not, find him."

Remus smirked a bit but nodded his acquiesce as he followed Severus out of the staff room and into the Great Hall for lunch.

Upon entering, both men spotted Harry sitting beside Dumbledore immediately, looking much less distressed and very clean from a recent shower. Remus sighed audibly in relief, while Severus' relief was not quite as obvious. They walked over and slid onto the bench beside Harry, not commenting on his finally surfacing to spare him the embarrassment. Lunch passed quite amiably that day.

S~S~S~S

"I've set up his bed over here at the end of the ward closest to my office so I can keep a closer eye on him. If it's going to be a longer stay than is preferable, I'll be glad to move him to a private room if you'd like, but I'd like to keep him where I can see him for the beginning." Madam Pomfrey was bustling around smoothing down the sheets and straightening the pillows on a plush, slightly nicer than average hospital bed at the end of the ward.

Severus just nodded appreciatively as he watched the Matron obsess over the bed and straighten out the different potions on the bedside table. Just then, the infirmary doors opened and a stretcher floated it, directed by Abigail, who walked slowly behind it. She smiled lightly at Severus as she passed him and lined Draco's stretcher up with the bed so he could be moved over.

"Would you mind giving me a hand, Severus? Your son isn't the lightest kid," Abby teased lightly as she moved around the stretcher to remove the blanket from the pale Slytherin.

Severus moved forward and helped lift Draco from the stretcher to the hospital bed, feeling a sense of revulsion as Draco's limp and slightly cold body lay still in his hands. It looked and felt too much like Draco was dead instead of merely asleep, and it greatly bothered Severus. He moved away from the bed as both Abigail and Madam Pomfrey began covering Draco up and positioning him more comfortably.

Abigail ran a diagnostic spell over Draco and hummed slightly as she conjured his chart out of thin air and began scribbling on it with a muggle pen. She handed the chart off to Severus in a nonchalant way and summoned a purple potion out of the large bag she had brought in with her. She gently pried open Draco's mouth and poured the potion in, using the same swallowing spell she usually used on comatose patients to insure the potion was ingested. "His temperature is slightly too low. I think the lack of proper foods has lowered his iron levels. I'm going to start adding an iron replacement regimen to his normal potions, alright, Poppy?" Abigail instructed as she took the chart from Severus again and flipped through it before writing something down once more. She was obviously very good at her job.

"So I have a list here of all the potions that need to be administered regularly. There is a very specific schedule that must be followed, so pay close attention to the times that these need to be given at. A diagnostic spell needs to be performed every three hours until nine in the evening, starting again at seven in the morning. A cleaning and refreshening charm needs to be used daily, even twice or three times if you feel it's necessary. Bed linens to be changed every three days, and he needs to be half-elevated for at least six hours a day. Leg stretches and rotating of joints and neck needs to be performed twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening. His feeding schedule is underneath his potion regimen schedule. He takes different nutrients at different times, so make sure you pay attention to which nutrient potion you administer in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

Visitors are allowed between seven in the morning and nine at night, and any other time if they're family or close friends approved by Professor Snape. Talking to him regularly while caring for him can stimulate brain activity and produce some responses, like muscle spasms, fluttering eye lids, and what appears to be quick smiles, which are tightening of the muscles around the lips. It is not known for sure, but he may be able to hear and comprehend everything we say around him, so be careful what you say and make sure when you speak to him, it's reassuring and hopeful. Hearing familiar voices can also stimulate the brain and possibly help in his recovering consciousness, so it is greatly encouraged.

Constantly monitor his body temperature and administer cooling and heating charms as needed. If he should respond abnormally, have a bad diagnostic check, or wake up, contact myself or Healer Jacobs if I am not on duty, but I would like to be notified either way. I can be contacted at the hospital or at home at any time, so don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Are there any questions at present moment?" Abby asked with a bright smile, knowing full well that the poor Hogwarts Matron was going to be extremely overwhelmed with Draco's care and her own Mediwitch duties for the rest of the Wizarding school. She'd have to make it a point to check up on the patient and Mediwitch often.

Severus inclined his head and waited to see if Poppy had any questions before asking his own. "How often will you or Healer Jacobs be coming to check on Draco, and is it possible that I can be updated regularly on his condition?"

Abby smiled knowingly and nodded gently. "I will try to make it every day that I am on duty, and even when I'm not; basically, as often as I can. Draco is one of my major patients because he does show potential of recovering, so I'm focusing a lot on him. Most of my other comatose patients have been that way for many months, and even years and show very little to no sign of recovery, not that that makes them any less important; just less promising. Healer Jacobs is only a resident at this time, so he is not on duty very often, but when he is I'll be sure to let him know to come and do a check up when he has a chance. Poppy is required to fill out daily comment sheets on his condition and write down his vitals for his records, so I can definitely forward you copies of that. My offer is extended to you as well; do not hesitate to send me an owl or floo my home or office if you have any questions or concerns. I'm here to provide the best care I can for your son; anything less is unacceptable to me personally, and in my position as a Healer at St. Mungo's."

Severus nodded appreciatively, letting a small smile trace his lips. He didn't think he could have found a better Healer for Draco, and was very glad she happened to be someone he knew quite well in the past. "Thank you, very much."

"You're very welcome, Professor. No questions, Poppy?" Abigail asked as she turned to the Matron, who still had a slightly crazed look in her eyes at the prospects of her new duties.

"No, not that I can think of right now. I'll send you an owl if I think of anything. In fact, forgive me if I send you quite a few owls in the beginning. I tend to doubt myself a bit and need reassurance, so prepare for lots of harried owls from me," Poppy said with a slightly worried laugh.

Abigail laughed and nodded understandingly. "That's quite alright with me. I was the same way when I first started my internship and residency at St. Mungo's. My attending nearly cursed my owl, Melody, because I kept sending her at ungodly hours in the morning. I understand the stress with transitioning from Mediwitch to Healer; it's quite stressful, but I'm always here to help."

"That's very comforting to me, Mrs. Smithson, I appreciate it."

"It's Mss. Smithson-Gray, actually. My husband passed just after my daughter was born, but I usually just stick to my maiden name now. Painful memories, you know. Well, I must be getting on my way. I have rounds in the children's clinic this evening. I should be back tomorrow to see how the first day is going. Have a good evening, Poppy, and you too, Severus."

"To you as well, Abby," said Poppy with a cheerful smile.

"Have a good evening, Abigail," Severus said, his soft smile still in place.

Abigail smiled back and added in a sly wink before she headed out of the infirmary and back to the Headmaster's office, where she would floo back to the hospital.

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**A/N: **Sorry again about the long wait! I promise to get the next one out quicker! Please review and let me know what you think!


	15. Winds of Change

**A/N:** Hello my lovely readers! I felt like posting again, so here's another chapter! I'm in a little bit of pain right now. Know why?? Because I got the Dark Mark tattooed on my arm! Woo hoo, it hurt so good LOL. Enjoy this chapter! Maybe I'll put a link to a pic of my tat on my profile…if you ask nicely.

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**Ch 15.  
Winds of Change**

After checking that Draco was comfortable and well taken care of, Severus headed off to the Headmaster's office, where he had a meeting with the elderly wizard. Their conversation after lunch had been interrupted by Dumbledore being called away to a Wizengamot meeting, and they rescheduled for that afternoon instead. Severus knocked once on the large door of the Head's office after riding the spiral staircase up.

"Enter," Dumbledore called from behind his desk. He looked up at the visitor, his half-moon spectacles perched on his nose as he looked over some folders from his meeting previously. "Ah, Severus. Good, you're here. Have a seat, my boy. Would you like some tea or maybe something stronger perhaps?" Albus offered, pulling his wand to conjure up whatever it was the Potions Master requested.

"Tea will suffice, sir. As I stated before, I wish to speak with you about Potter. You know of his recent vision into the Dark Lord's mind already, so I presume you're already aware that he has not yet achieved adequate Occlumency skills. Without Draco being able to assist in teaching Harry, I think I should start teaching him once more to insure that it does not happen again. I have an appointment with my Neurology Healer to do a follow up on my last tests. He said before that I was nearly healed, but he wanted me to continue to avoid Legilimency and Occlumency. If I get the all clear from him, I would like your permission to begin lessons with Harry again," Severus explained, nodding his thanks as Dumbledore handed him a steaming cup of tea.

Dumbledore took a sip of his tea and set his cup down before crossing his fingers in front of him, his gaze far off in thought. "I think, Severus, that that is a wonderful idea, as long as you are healthy enough to do it without causing further damage. It is pertinent that Harry does not continue these visions, or I fear that a repeat of last year's Ministry fiasco will occur. I wonder, though – why are you suddenly so willing to help Mr. Potter out again? Last year you were hard pressed to teach him, and after only a little while, you refused to teach him all together. I know that you reached a truce with the boy over the summer, but after the Diagon Alley attack, I was sure you'd refuse to associate yourself with Harry again. Something has changed between you and the boy, Severus; or maybe it is just you who has changed."

Severus tapped agitatedly on the side of his tea cup, looking anywhere but at the Headmaster. It seemed that his softening towards Potter had become too obvious, highlighted especially by this offer to teach him Occlumency again. "My views of Mr. Potter have changed a little, yes; the boy helped heal and assist me after I was tortured nearly to death by the Dark Lord. However, my offering to help him with his Occlumency has less to do with my feelings towards him, and more my concern for the rest of the Wizarding world. We need Potter in order to win this war, and for Potter to achieve that, he needs to protect his mind. I am only trying to help win this war," Severus insisted, feeling like that was a clever and well thought up excuse for his sudden concern for Harry.

Dumbledore smiled knowingly, his ice blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Ah, Severus. It is good to hear that you have grown to care for others around you, especially certain green-eyed teenage heroes. Your growing fondness of the boy is not something to be ashamed of; quite the contrary, actually. It is very admirable that you have overcome your prejudice towards the boy and turned it into affection. Now, for the sake of your hard, ruthless reputation, I'll gladly keep this secret for you. However, I want you to promise me something, Severus."

Severus abandoned his attempt to convince Dumbledore he did not care for the boy like he had grown to over the summer. The old man was too intelligent not to see through his ruse, and deep down, he had know that all along. "What is it you want from me, Albus?" Severus asked, not impolitely.

"From what I observed over lunch, and of his reactions regarding you after the attack, I believe that Harry has also grown to have certain affection for you as well, and he knows that you, in part, return that affection. What I want from you, Severus, is a promise that, if you continue to care for Harry the way you are, that you will not stop. I need to know that Harry is not being set up to be abandoned by another father-figure."

Severus took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, thinking about the magnitude of what Dumbledore had said. He knew the Headmaster was right, as much as he wanted to deny it. The contrasting feelings of how he felt about Harry the first five years he knew the boy, and the last few months he had spent with him over the summer was a drastic change. It affected Severus much more than he anticipated, and it changed everything. This promise that Dumbledore was asking for, it was very much a life altering decision, as it insured that, war or no war, Harry would forever be a part of his life. With Draco as his responsibility now as well, was that something he was ready for or willing to do?

"I fear you ask too much of me, Albus. I am human; I make mistakes and break promises like the next person. Is your trust in me endless? You would allow me to take Harry in, to care for him as if he were my own? Or are you only looking to insure that Harry is safe because you know that I _must_ protect him by the Vow, even after you've gone?"

"I trust you with my own life, Severus; why would I not trust you with Harry's as well? It is not insurance for my own peace of mind, but something that Harry truly needs. He needs a mentor, someone to go to for anything at all – guidance, advice, comfort, help. I believe that you can provide that for Harry, and your change in feelings towards the boy shows that you are willing to do it as well. After all, who did Harry run to after his recent nightmare? Not Remus; one of his father's best friends, not myself; his previous mentor and Headmaster, not Minerva; his Head of House. Harry went to you, Severus, and that speaks volumes about his trust in you. You must understand that trust in an adult is one of the hardest things to achieve with an abused child," said Dumbledore, nodding knowingly at his Potions Professor.

Severus nodded slowly, knowing exactly how hard it was to trust adults as an abused child. "I do understand. So, what exactly does this promise include?" Severus asked, caving already to the idea.

"Simply that you help guide Harry through these tough times, and that you'll always be there for him when he is in need. Something else I might suggest is giving him a sense of stability while protecting him. How would you feel about allowing Harry to live in your quarters here at the school with you? You can protect him better that way, and your relationship can grow stronger with constant contact. What Harry needs is a father, Severus, and you can be that for him."

Severus blinked rapidly, feeling that maybe Dumbledore _was_ asking too much of him. To go from hating the boy and being forced to protect him, to grudgingly taking care of him because he was forced to, to growing fond of him and wanting to protect him out of his own will…It was all too much for Severus. However, he knew that if he didn't make this promise, Dumbledore would not let the blooming relationship between himself and Harry continue, and he _knew_ he didn't want that. How extraordinary that Severus Snape cared about Harry Potter like a father would a son. Some would say the apocalypse would come much sooner than that occurred. "I promise, and I…I'd like it if Harry were moved to my quarters," Severus said, barely above a whisper. He could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest as the gravity of what he'd just said hit him like a million tons of bricks.

Dumbledore beamed at the Potions Master and nodded, clapping his hands together once in excitement. "Very well, I will meet with Harry and discuss his moving to the Dungeons with him to set it all in motion." Dumbledore sobered as he looked fondly at Severus, his eyes becoming watery. "You will never know just how much this means to me, Severus. To know that you and Harry will have each other…it puts this old man's heart at ease, and it surely gives me hope for the future. You are as good as my own son, and I am proud of you, Severus."

Severus felt his chest constrict painfully as some sort of long suppressed flood of emotion surged forward. He leaned forward with his elbow propped on his knee, his hand held shakily in front of his mouth as tears threatened to fall. He never thought he'd cry again. "Thank you, Albus," Severus whispered in a strained voice as he closed his eyes to keep the moisture from falling. After taking a few deep breaths, Severus opened his eyes, only to see that Dumbledore had risen from his seat and walked over to stand beside him, his hand grasping his shoulder firmly.

"There is no need to thank me, son."

That last word shattered Severus' last bit of control. His shoulders shook as he wept into his hands, Dumbledore's hand still resting comfortably upon his trembling shoulder.

S~S~S~S

The rest of the week passed by very quickly, a comfort to Harry, who had grown increasingly lonely and missed his best friends dearly. He was excited for the new school year to start up so that the castle would be teeming with students instead of cold and deathly silent. Just after dinner on the last day before the other students would arrive, Dumbledore asked Harry to come up to his office to talk about some things.

"Please take a seat, Harry. Tea?" Dumbledore asked as he sat down behind his desk and conjured a cup of tea for himself.

"Uh, sure. Thanks, sir. So…am I in trouble?" Harry asked, having no idea what he could possibly have done to get in trouble, other than his foolish mistake in the Diagon Alley attack.

Dumbledore chuckled merrily as he sat his tea cup aside, his eyes sparkling affectionately. "No, Harry, you're not in trouble. I had a meeting with Professor Snape the other day concerning your dream about Voldemort. He's expressed a desire to continue teaching you Occlumency in Draco's place once he's cleared as healed from his own mental injury. I told him that that was a very good idea. That is alright with you, I presume?"

Harry nodded with a slight shrug, actually quite relieved that Snape was going to teach him again. "Yeah, I'd actually like that very much. I really don't want to have to see something like that again, and Snape – sorry, _Professor_ Snape is a good teacher when he wants to be."

"Now, Harry, there is also something else I wish to discuss with you. This summer, the relationship between yourself and Professor Snape has changed quite a bit. Even with what happened to Mr. Malfoy, Professor Snape is still willing to teach you Occlumency. In years passed, Professor Snape would never have been willing to do that. He'd be snide, rude, and treat you horribly, just like the first five years he taught you here at Hogwarts. Last year, you vehemently blamed Sirius' death on Severus, and would hear nothing against that idea. Yet now, you're actually glad to have Professor Snape teaching you, and you corrected yourself out of respect for his proper title; if I may say so myself, these changes are quite drastic. What made things so different?" Dumbledore asked, curious as to what Harry's answer would be. He neglected to ask Severus this question, as he knew the man would only deny that there was a change to begin with.

Harry bit his lip gently as he thought about everything Dumbledore said. The Headmaster was right, things had changed quite drastically between himself and Snape; but why? "Well, he did save my life, Professor. And, well…I guess I sort of saved his too, after his torture. We just understand each other now, and we both realized how foolish it was to waste our time hating each other when we had so much in common. He realized I was not in fact a carbon copy of my father, and I learned that Professor Snape is human too, and he can make mistakes just like the rest of us can. Not to mention that he also showed that he does indeed have a heart that's not frozen."

Highly satisfied with this answer, Dumbledore felt it was perfectly safe to move right on to propositioning Harry about the move. "Professor Snape has agreed to allow you to move into his personal quarters with him as a means of protecting you better, while being able to focus more time on teaching you Occlumency. Now that I know you both seem to have grown fond of each other, I feel safe in having you move down to the Dungeons with him. I know it is not preferable because you will be moving away from your friends in Gryffindor Tower, but your protection is more important at this point. Too many attempts have been made on your life while at this school already; I wish for you to have more protection this year to stop history from repeating itself. What say you?"

Harry frowned slightly, his brows creasing as he thought about living with Snape for the entire year. Yes, it would suck not being close to his friends, but it wasn't like he'd never see them or get to spend time with them. Dumbledore was right; he was in just as much danger here at Hogwarts as he was without. Now with his newly acquired truce with the Potions Master, Harry felt that living with Snape didn't sound as distinctly unpleasant as he would have thought only a year before. "I think that would be alright, Professor. You're sure Professor Snape doesn't mind?"

"Quite the contrary, Harry; he is perfectly happy to share his living area with you so that he may protect you."

"Oh…" Harry said, feeling a warmth spread throughout his body at the idea of Snape being 'perfectly happy' to have Harry living with him. "So, er…Should I go pack now, or am I not moving yet?" Harry asked, starting to feel a little bit anxious about the move after all. What would Ron and Hermione say? Given their reactions in Diagon Alley, he was sure it would be nothing good.

"Professor Snape has cleared out one of his spare rooms for you and everything has been set up – bed, wardrobe, and desk. You even have your very own bathroom inside your room. So, if you'd like to go pack up your trunk now, Professor Snape will be up to Gryffindor Tower to assist you with moving."

Harry laughed lightly, feeling slightly annoyed by that comment. "Oh, so he was set to come help me move already, regardless of if I approved of the move or not?"

Dumbledore smiled back at the young Gryffindor, his eyes sparkling in amusement. "No, Professor Snape has actually been standing in the doorway this whole time and just now learned that he's going to help you."

Harry blushed as he whipped around and saw Professor Snape standing beside the door with his arms crossed behind his back, looking quite amused himself. "Oh…Well, don't I feel stupid." Harry glared half-heartedly as Snape actually _laughed_ at him. It was nice to hear that laugh, however.

"Come, Harry. Let's get you settled in so that we can start the Occlumency lessons again. I'm all healed up now, so I can teach you again."

"Brilliant," Harry drawled with a playful eye roll. He was actually kind of excited about the move. It would probably be a bit hard at first, and maybe a bit awkward, but with the way things were going, he knew everything would be ok in the end.

S~S~S~S

"Harry! Oh, goodness, I've been so worried about you! Why haven't you written back? Have you been in terrible trouble? How is Malfoy, did Snape skin you alive?"

Harry shook his head to clear it as he tried to understand all of Hermione's jumbled questions as he was hugged excruciatingly tight by his best friend.

"Calm down, 'Mione. Let the man breathe before he answers all your questions. Please do answer them, Harry; she's been driving me spare with all her worry, mate," Ron said with a crooked grin as he pat Harry firmly on the shoulder.

Harry smiled widely at his two friends, glad to have them close again. "I haven't written back because Hedwig is on strike apparently, and the school owls were still off on their own summer holidays. No, I haven't been in trouble. Draco is in a coma, and my skin is still intact. Now can we please go sit down?" Harry asked exasperatedly as he nodded towards the Great Hall, where students were flooding in after the carriage rides from the Hogsmead train station.

The trio all sat down at the Gryffindor table in their usual spots in the middle, Harry in the middle as Hermione continued to berate him with questions. "A coma? Oh no, that's terrible! They've no idea how to wake him up?"

"Not yet, but they're working on it. Professor Snape is paying the best Healers, so all that can be done, is being done. He's actually here at Hogwarts in the infirmary," Harry said, starting to feel that familiar, leaden sense of guilt take hold of him again.

Ron looked like he wanted to say something nasty, but before he could, Ginny swooped down upon them and took the seat across from Harry. "I think McGonagall's made a mistake, Harry. She made me the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Why on earth didn't she give it to you? You're not still banned are you?"

Harry had forgotten about his leave from Quidditch, though he didn't regret it. He already had way too much on his plate without captaincy duties as well. "Er, no, I'm not still banned. I…I told McGonagall to give it to you, because I've decided I'm not going to play Quidditch this year."

Before Ginny and Ron could shout their horrified and angry out-bursts, the doors opened and in walked Professor McGonagall, leading in the long line of first years. The Hall remained generally quiet as the sorting began. Afterwards, the feast began after a few short words from Dumbledore.

"No Quidditch, Harry? What happened to you this summer? Are you even really Harry?" Ginny asked as she stabbed viciously at a baked potato.

"Of course I'm really Harry – "

"Can't be, because the real Harry would never give up Quidditch. What's wrong with you, mate? You gave up the captaincy…to Ginny!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Please, stop! Both of you! Look, I've got way too much going on with Voldemort and this war to worry about something like Quidditch. What happened this summer? I was nearly killed, I lost every family member I had left, I had to take care of Professor Snape after watching Voldemort torture him, I was stuck in a cottage the whole time, and I nearly killed another student trying to save you lot! I grew up, that's what happened, alright? Now drop it," Harry snapped as he focused back on his plate, even though he had lost his appetite completely.

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione all left Harry quite well enough alone for the rest of the meal, either talking to each other, or eating in silence. After dessert had vanished, Dumbledore stood to give his usual start of term reminders. However, he added something else this year.

"This summer, we unfortunately lost three of our dear students to violence due to Voldemort's uprising. Would be fifth year, Warwick Davis of Slytherin; would be second year Delilah Jacobs of Hufflepuff; and would be seventh year Amelia Stoneheart of Gryffindor. Another student has also been hospitalized indefinitely, as he is in a coma from another Death Eater attack; sixth year Draco Malfoy of Slytherin." The hall broke out in gasps, whispers, cries of shock and a few wails of grief. "I'd like to have a moment of silence for these lost souls and their grieving families."

The Great Hall stayed deathly silent as all of the staff and students looked down mournfully at the tables, or looked around with wide, shocked eyes at their friends in silent surprise. After what felt like a year, Dumbledore clapped his hands loudly, making them all jump, and dismissed them.

"We'll see you in the common room, Harry. We've got to help monitor the new Prefects and do patrols until everyone makes it to their common rooms," Hermione said as she stood and started to pull Ron along by the hand.

"No, actually, you won't. I…I'm not staying in Gryffindor Tower this year," Harry said reluctantly, having successfully avoided the topic all night until then.

"What? Where are you staying then? Did you get a personal room?" Ron asked, his brow knitted in confusion.

"Well, yes, I do have my own room, but…Well…I'm living down in the dungeons with Professor Snape," Harry said in a rush, not meeting his friend's eyes.

"WHAT?! That's completely insane! Why on _EARTH_ would you want to stay down there with that greasy old bat and the Slytherins?" Ron shouted, making many students turn towards them to listen in.

Harry blushed lightly and tried to ignore the stares, feeling anger rise in him at Ron's words. "Don't call him that, Ron! I'm staying down there because I'm better protected with Snape so close. He's also teaching me Occlumency again. This was the most ideal way to do things – "

"Ideal? Living with Snape is _ideal_? What spoiled potions have you been taking, Harry?! You're sleeping in the snake pit for Merlin's sake!"

"Ron, please – ," Hermione hissed, trying to pull him away from Harry, who looked to be growing more and more upset.

Harry was now beyond angry, his fists held shaking at his sides so he did not grab for his wand and simply curse Ron. "Professor Snape saved my life, Ron! If he can't protect me, nobody can! You need to grow the hell up and get over personal grudges! We're at war here, and we should be focusing all our efforts on fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, not each other!" Harry yelled, making a few people gasp or squeak in fright.

Ron's face was dangerously red, and his blue eyes were blazing in anger as he tried to shake Hermione's hand off of his arm. "You've lost your fucking mind, Potter. I dunno who brain washed you, but somebody obviously did. Have a nice year with the greasy git and the snakes; I'll have no part in it." Ron walked away, bumping Harry's shoulder painfully as he went.

Hermione tsked in annoyed anger and confusion as she watched him walk away. "I'm sorry, Harry. He's been so angry since he found out you were living with Snape and Malfoy. I'm sure he'll get over it soon. Don't let him get to you, alright? I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before moving quickly through the crowd, feeling like she was neglecting her Prefect duties already.

Harry sighed tiredly as he tried to make his way out of the Great Hall along with the masses of students. As he headed towards the dungeon steps, he saw Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle walking towards him, looking ready to start a fight. Before they could reach him, however, Snape stepped in front of them, blocking Harry from the angry group.

"Already starting fights, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle? Twenty points from Slytherin. I'll make it clear now, and I will _not_ repeat myself; you will leave Potter alone, you will not cause him any problems, and you will have to answer to _me_ if you disobey. Am I understood?"

The three Slytherins nodded in a shocked sort of way, moving away towards the dungeons as Snape gave them a dismissive wave of his hand. "You might want to make sure I accompany you on the way to and from the dungeons for the first few weeks, just as a precaution," Severus warned Harry as he took him by the shoulder and steered him through the crowd of stupefied Slytherins who had overheard Snape's punishment just seconds before. It was going to be an interesting year.

S~S~S~S

"These schedules were made with your O.W.L. results in mind. If you have any discrepancies with these classes, please come see me immediately after breakfast so we can get it figured out. I will tell you all now; if you did not reach the required grade in your O.W.L.s for a certain class, there is nothing I can personally do to get you into said class. If it is that important, you need to speak directly to the Professor of the class and get signed approval for a schedule change. Have a good day."

Harry was looking down at his schedule with a little less distaste than he would originally have upon seeing double Advanced Potions twice a week, of course with the Slytherins. Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, and Herbology along with the rigorous Potions classes wasn't exactly the worst schedule, but he would definitely be busy.

"Can I see your schedule, Harry?" Hermione asked from across the table. Ron had opted to sit down by the fifth years with Ginny instead of near Harry. Though nothing had been established, Harry knew he was no longer being spoken to because of his 'treachery'.

"Sure, let me see yours," Harry said as he handed his time-table over to the bushy-haired witch. He took Hermione's offered one and nearly choked on his breakfast. "Geez Hermione! Are you going to need another Time-Turner this year?" Hermione was taking far more subjects than he was, and she was a Prefect to boot.

"Goodness no, and I wouldn't take as much if I needed to use one again. I was insane to do that third year to begin with. No, my schedule is quite full, but I'll be able to manage because I won't have any free periods."

"You do realize that this year was designed to be a sort of break between O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, right? They offer free periods now because we'll need them to keep up with the work, Hermione," Harry said incredulously, feeling that maybe his friend was pushing herself too far. Transfiguration, double Advanced Potions, Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures were far too many courses in Harry's opinion.

"You're taking Care of Magical Creatures again? I didn't even think about continuing on in that; I dropped it."

Hermione grabbed her schedule from Harry and looked it over with a crease between her brows as she took a bite of her blueberry muffin. "I'm not supposed to be in that class, actually. I need to go speak with Professor McGonagall about this. Can you let Professor Snape know that I might be late for class because of this?" she asked as she got up from the table and gathered her books.

"Yeah, sure. See you later," Harry said with a shrug as he continued to work on his eggs and bacon.

"See you." Hermione walked off towards the staff table, leaving Harry sitting alone with his breakfast.

Neville scooted into the seat Hermione had just vacated, dragging his plate across the table with him. "Hey, Harry. I heard you had a pretty crazy summer. Ron certainly had a lot to say about it," Neville said under his breath, avoiding looking over in Ron's direction.

"I'm sure he did. Yes, my summer was a bit crazy, but it was nothing less than I expected. How about you; good summer, then?" Harry asked his ex-roommate, trying not to let himself get too annoyed by Ron's obvious attitude towards him as the redhead walked by with his bag slung over his shoulder.

Neville shrugged as he finished off his bangers and mash with gusto and took a swig of pumpkin juice. "My summer was boring, really. Gran and I took a short trip to Albania to visit my uncle Alfred. He's taken ill, so I wanted to see him one last time before he passes."

Harry frowned slightly, feeling a surge of sympathy for his friend. He knew Neville was quite fond of his Herbologist uncle, and like Harry was before, he was quickly running out of family members. "Sorry to hear that, Nev. So, what's your time-table like this year?"

Neville pulled his time-table out of his back pocket and handed it to Harry. "All easy classes pretty much. By some miracle I was actually let into Snape's class with only an E. I need that class to continue with my Herbology career ambitions. Double Advanced is going to be hard though. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with O requirements with my lower grade."

Harry looked over Neville's schedule and saw that they shared all of the same classes, but Neville was also taking Muggle-Studies. "Professor Snape had to lower his expectations for the class because there weren't very many students who did receive O's, and there were quite a few with E's that needed the course. I got in his class that way too. He's not too happy about it, but he did agree to lower the class standards, so I think us E students will be ok. We'll stick together, since Ron is being a prat and will probably partner with Hermione instead."

Neville looked particularly relieved as he took his schedule back and handed Harry his back as well. "That's great, thanks Harry. Ron was being awfully rude last night. He even made a first year cry because she was standing in front of the wrong staircase looking confused, the poor thing. Hermione was right livid with him and he stomped up to bed ranting and raving away how you were betraying everyone. What's he on about, mate? I heard you guys fighting last night after dinner, but I didn't exactly linger to find out why," Neville asked, peeling a banana and taking a bite out of the fruit.

Harry sighed resignedly as his appetite finally left him and he pushed his plate away. "Well, this summer, my aunt and uncle's house was attacked by Death Eaters. They were trying to get at me, but instead they killed my family and left me there to die. Professor Snape came and saved my life, and I ended up staying with him for the rest of the summer. To make a long story short, I'm in a lot more danger this year than normal, if you can believe that, and Dumbledore thought it would be a better idea for me to move down and live in Professor Snape's quarters with him so he can protect me better. Ron flew off the handle because I'm ok with the new arrangement. Professor Snape saved my life and took care of me when I needed it; I feel safe with him."

Neville was staring at Harry, his mouth gaping and showing off his slightly chewed banana. He blinked and few times and shook himself out of his stupor before glancing around in a paranoid way as if he expected Snape to swoop down upon them. "Wow, Harry. When I heard you had a crazy summer that is _not_ what I thought happened. I'm sorry to hear about your family, Harry, that's horrible. You know I don't really like Snape, but if he saved your life than he deserves a bit of credit for that. He's not being so…nasty anymore, is he?"

Harry shook his head and grabbed his bag from under the table as most everyone was getting up to head to class already. "No, not to me at least. We sort of reached a…understanding, of sorts. A lot of things changed this summer."

Neville grabbed his own bag and hopped agilely over the top of the Gryffindor table so that he could walk alongside Harry. McGonagall glared at him for it and he cowed slightly. "Sounds like it. Hopefully he'll not be as bad in classes this year, but I won't keep my fingers crossed. Ron's just being a git, Harry. He'll get over it soon, I'm sure."

The two of them walked to double Advanced Potions together, talking about how this year was going to go and greeting other friends along the way. When they reached the Potions classroom, they could hear raised voices coming from down the corridor walking towards the room.

"…Ridiculous, Ronald! You're acting like a child, Harry doesn't deserve this! You're no better than the Slytherins, the way you talk to Harry and bump into him like you're some big person, but you're not! You're nothing but a belittling little toe-rag, and I'm sick of hearing you talk about him like that! Grow the hell up, or leave me the hell alone!" Hermione shouted as she stopped in front of the dungeon classroom, her breathing erratic and her eyes glossy with tears.

Ron was a very ugly shade of puce as he tried to blend in with the wall beside the door, trying to avoid all the stares he was getting. He caught Harry's eyes and gave him the most disdainful, hateful look Harry had ever seen on his face.

"Well, well, a lover's tiff already? Five points from Gryffindor for shouting in the halls, but ten to Ms. Granger for gaining some sense. Enter," Severus said in his classic frightening and sarcastic drawl as he opened the door to his classroom and held it open as his double Advanced sixth years filed in.

Harry bit his lip, wanting to make sure Hermione was alright, but not wanting to gain Snape's wrath himself. It was starting to look like the Potions Master hadn't changed at all, really. Then again, he did take away five points from Gryffindor just to give them back plus more. Harry already had a headache.

"We're going to start with a Potion from your O.W.L.s today just to make sure you're all awake and up to this classes standards. This will be a solo potion, no helping each other. Whoever completes their potion correctly and hands it in the quickest will win a prize, which you'll learn of when the winner is determined. Directions are on the board, you have two hours to work." Severus flicked his wand and the directions to the Draught of Living Death appeared on the board, before sweeping over to his desk and sitting behind it, pulling parchment towards him immediately to fill out a point sheet. The new rules about house points were designed with him in mind, he knew. Even though points would automatically be taken or given when a Professor or Prefect spoke the words, a point sheet had to be filled out with the amount of points, the student who lost or gained the points, and the reasoning for punishment or reward by the separate Heads of House. It was up to the Heads to revoke and reward points when they felt the reasons were not justified enough for them. However, Severus was clever and good with words, so no matter what the reason, he knew his rewarding and revocations would stick.

Throughout the class, Harry worked diligently on his potion, being as precise as possible while still trying to finish quickly. He knew Hermione was off her game because of her row with Ron when he saw that she was at least four steps behind him in the potion making process. After the first hour, he looked around and saw that he was indeed ahead of everyone else, with Neville coming in close behind him. It looked like Ron had simply given up and was stirring around what looked like murky brown water lazily. After adding the final ingredient, powdered unicorn horn, Harry stirred his potion clockwise for four minutes, and then counter-clockwise for two before letting it simmer for ten minutes. He ladled out some of his potion and poured it carefully into a vial, corking it with his wand and holding it by the wax seal, as the glass was hot from the contents. He walked up to Snape's desk and held out the potion, waiting for the class's reaction.

Severus looked up from his lesson plans for next week's first-years and stared at the potion in Harry's hand for a few seconds before pulling out a handkerchief and carefully taking the hot glass from Potter. He pulled open a desk drawer and took out a special kit designed to test the effectiveness of potions. After pouring half of Harry's potion into a tiny cauldron, Severus stirred in a thick crystalline substance, making the potion turn into a paste-like consistency rather than its previous liquid state. He used a dropper to collect some of the paste, and then smeared it on a bright green piece of wax paper, which sizzled and turned a lovely shade of lilac, before bursting into flames and shriveling up into ash. "Very well, Mr. Potter. You've successfully made the Draught of Living Death correctly and quickest. Your prize is this: fifty points to Gryffindor, and one free full grade to replace any failing grade you should acquire this year. Everyone else, clean up and pack up – I'll not be accepting any more potions," Severus said as he packed away his kit and resealed Harry's potion to store it in his student potions cupboard.

Harry smiled as he caught Snape's eye before turning around to go back and clean up his area and pack his things away. He felt very accomplished with his surprising performance and felt no sympathy as a few Slytherins and even some Gryffindors glared dolefully at him. After he packed away his stuff, he sat down on his stool to wait for the bell to ring. He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Snape hovering over him, looking down his nose at him.

"Good job, Potter."

Harry blinked a few times, unable to respond with anything since his throat had dried up at Snape's words. "Uh, thank you, sir."

Hermione's eyes were wide and disbelieving as she stared at Harry after Snape had moved away to berate a Slytherin about a melted cauldron. When the bell rang shortly after, Hermione quickly caught up with Harry. "That was…well, it was _weird!_ Since when were you good at potions, and since when did Snape reward his students for doing what they were told? What did you do to him this summer, Harry? It's like he's a completely different person! Do you realize in one double-period, Snape _rewarded_ Gryffindor sixty points, and _took away_ twenty from Slytherin! That has got to be a record," Hermione said quickly, her eyes still wide.

Harry chuckled as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "I didn't do anything to him, Hermione. He just…changed."

"Well, whatever inspired that change, I'm forever grateful. Rewarding me points for yelling at Ron? Brilliant!" Hermione said with a wide grin laughing along with Harry as they both headed off to Transfiguration together. Neither of them noticed a certain red head glaring at them from behind, looking like he was plotting his revenge.

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**A/N:** If I get enough reviews, I'll post a picture! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far, I really need some feedback!


	16. Close Yet Far

**A/N: **So, who else was disappointed with the movie adaptation Half-Blood Prince? Mhmm...so, here's a new chapter to distract yourself from the pain of it! Oh yeah, this is the first ever beta'd chapter! Thanks to Vincent Severus Mycroft, my beta! After this story is finished, I'll probably go back and make edits in the first 15 chapters that he went back and beta'd for me. For now, I'm going to focus on writing the story some more! Enjoy!

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**Ch 16.  
Close Yet Far**

Harry could not sleep, no matter how hard he tried. His new room in Snape's quarters was really nice and fairly large, but it was much too quiet, and always cold. He loved having his own bathroom, and his desk was loaded with whatever supplies he could possibly ask for. So far, his experience with living in the dungeons was going good, and his Occlumency lessons with Snape were starting to improve drastically as they continued.

However, every time Harry thought about blocking his mind, the only thing that he could think of was Draco, and the way his pale form looked in the hospital wing on the first day he went to see the Slytherin. He ended up having to leave as he became overwhelmed and didn't want Madam Pomfrey seeing him in such a state.

Giving up trying to sleep as a bad job, Harry got out of bed and pulled on his dressing gown and slippers. He knelt down and opened his trunk, searching around for his cloak and map. After finding them, he threw the cloak over himself and unfolded the map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said while tapping the worn map with his wand. Ink began to spread over the yellowing parchment, displaying the names and locations of every single person in the castle.

Harry looked first for Snape, making sure the man was in his own room and would not notice him leaving. Snape was apparently sitting at his desk, so he was still awake. Harry would have to be extra quiet while sneaking out.

Next person to check for was Filch, who looked to be in his office, with Mrs. Norris sitting next to him. He did a quick scan of the rest of the halls and saw only a Ravenclaw Prefect patrolling the seventh floor corridor near Ravenclaw Tower.

Folding the map up and storing it in an inside pocket, Harry made his way quietly out of his room and into the sitting room of Snape's and his quarters. He looked down the hall towards Snape's room and saw a soft candle glow seeping underneath the door and heard the faint scratching of a quill. Using a silencing charm to quiet his footsteps, and an oiling charm to keep the dungeon door from squeaking, Harry pointed his wand at the strange door, which had no handle or lock and looked like it was a part of the wall rather than an opening.

"_Abrire_…" An outline of a door glowed around the wall for a few seconds before an actual door appeared and clicked open. Harry was afraid Snape would have heard the click out of paranoia, but the Potions Master did not come out to investigate.

Harry took a deep breath and wrapped the cloak closer around his still smaller-than-average frame and slipped out of Snape's quarters, carefully closing the door behind him, which sealed into the wall once more. Harry groaned slightly as he realized he was going to have to use a locating charm again to find the door; all the dungeon walls looked the same, and he could never remember which one was really the door.

Up two flights of stairs, Harry pulled out the map and did a quick check once more. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he folded it up and kept on his way. He finally reached the infirmary and carefully opened the tall doors, hoping the hinges did not squeak, which was quite common in the old school. He let out a relieved breath as he made it through the door without a peep.

Harry looked around the small hospital wing and didn't see anyone, awake or asleep. Down at the very end of the ward, a single bed was closed off behind stark white curtains, signaling that that was where Draco was bound to be lying, pale and asleep for who knew how long to come.

He walked slowly over to the curtained bed, feeling his heart beat quicker in his chest. He didn't know what he expected to see, or why he had come back here after his initial overwhelmed reaction the first time. He reached a hand out from under his cloak and pulled the curtain back slowly. A small fairy light was hanging over Draco's bed, softly illuminating the Slytherin's pale, aristocratic features.

Harry slipped all the way behind the curtain and pulled it closed all the way once more. He gulped down the lump in his throat as he moved to sit in the chair sitting a few feet from Draco's bedside, pulling the cloak off of himself as he sat down. He wasn't sure how long he sat there just staring at Draco before he finally found the courage to speak, but it was probably a good twenty minutes or so.

"I'm sorry, Draco…I should never have done what I did. I should have listened to you. I feel like such an idiot. But…I have a question for you. Why on earth did you pull me out of the way, sacrifice yourself, for _me_? I just don't understand…You've always hated me, and even though we'd gotten on a bit better this summer, I never thought you would ever risk your own life for me. What were you thinking? I just want to understand, and I wish you could hear me, know how sorry I am that it's you in that bed and not me.

"Sometimes, I wish that it was me in your place, blissfully unaware of the hell going on in the Wizarding world right now. Sometimes I think being woefully unconscious for Merlin knows how long would be much more preferable. I sort of envy you because you get this escape, but then I realize how stupid and cowardly that sounds, and that you probably wish we could switch places, too. Or maybe, perhaps not, since you did take all those spells for me to begin with.

"I can't sleep, I can barely eat, and Ron has stopped speaking to me because I moved in with Severus down in the dungeons. I feel very…separated from everyone else, not because of my new living situation, but because I feel…alien, like a whole different species than everyone around me. The hero, or anti-hero, as Hermione likes to call me.

"I never wanted any of this – the fame, fortune, fans. I just want to be a normal teenager, but I guess that's too much to ask. I guess you were never technically a 'normal' teenager, either. You're life hasn't exactly been drama-less, given who you were raised by. At least we can say we have that in common…" Harry continued to talk about everything and nothing with the comatose Slytherin, feeling immensely better just getting everything off of his chest.

What Harry wasn't aware of was that an alarm had gone off as soon as Harry had left his room, alerting Snape to his departure immediately. Having knowledge of the boy's clever map, Severus waited a good amount of time – long enough so that Harry could get to where he was undoubtedly going and pay no more attention to his map – before following the faint glow only visible to him that was his tracking spell on Harry. The boy was foolish to think that Severus would not be monitoring his every move; when Severus had a job to do, he took it very seriously, including protecting his newly acquired charge.

Standing in the shadows of the faint fairy lights hanging high in the ceiling, Severus listened to the Gryffindor go on and on, talking to his godson, who may very well be able to hear him, but unable to respond. It struck a kind of sympathetic nerve in him to hear Harry pour his soul out to Draco, desperately seeking forgiveness from the Slytherin and wishing he could understand Draco's uncharacteristic fit of bravery.

Severus and Harry both held that curiosity, as Severus would never have thought Draco, a Slytherin by definition to the core, would ever sacrifice himself for a Gryffindor, or anyone else for that matter; especially if said Gryffindor was Harry Potter. Figuring that Harry wasn't in any danger here in the infirmary talking to a comatose peer, Severus headed back down to his quarters, where he had been sitting up late at night for the past week researching anything and everything that might help awaken Draco once more.

S~S~S~S

"You look exhausted, Harry. Have you been sleeping well?"

Harry and Hermione were on their way to Defense on Tuesday morning, the sky an ugly overcast gray that threatened rain. Harry shifted his bag on his shoulder, barely able to keep his eyes open. He sat in the hospital wing with Draco all night, falling asleep sometime near dawn and waking up only an hour and a half later by the sound of Madam Pomfrey leaving her quarters.

"Not really, maybe I'll ask Severus for some Dreamless Sleep tonight so I can catch up. Would you mind trying to keep me awake in classes today?" Harry said, looking at his best friend pleadingly. He didn't really have any intentions of asking Snape for the potion; he wanted to see Draco again.

Hermione frowned, shifting her much heavier school bag on her shoulders. "Did you just call Professor Snape by his first name?" Hermione asked, ignoring Harry's request entirely.

Harry mentally kicked himself as they reached the Defense classroom and browsed around for seats before choosing two in the very front, a ways away from Ron, who was sitting in the back with Dean and Seamus. Snape had asked Harry to refer to him as something other than 'sir' and 'Professor' while in the privacy of their quarters, but he still had to use a respectful title in classes and such. "Er, yeah; Sev – Professor Snape asked me to use his first name while not in public. Something about helping me to adjust and not feeling like a prison guard…" Harry mumbled, his cheeks staining lightly as Hermione gave him an impish grin.

"He's really changed a lot, Harry; that's good. I mean, he's still pretty nasty when he's angry, but the way he treats you now – it's amazing. I might actually start hating him less," Hermione said with a thoughtful expression.

Before Harry could express his shock at Hermione's admission, Remus Lupin entered the classroom, carrying his trusty battered briefcase along with him. The entire classroom broke out into whispered conversations, some students blatantly pointing at the returning Professor.

"Good morning sixth years, and welcome too N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm your instructor, Professor Lupin, but I daresay most of you remember me from your third year Defense classes. Now, before we begin today's lesson, there is something I must discuss with you all. As you're all aware, a letter from the Headmaster was sent to your parents via your yearly letters. This letter stated that a werewolf would, once again, be teaching at Hogwarts this year. That is the truth; I am indeed a werewolf."

Remus' announcement quickly hushed the class, making it seem eerily silent as he paced in the front of the classroom. A few students were looking at him in terror, their eyes wide in fear. However, most of the students seemed unaffected by the news, which could only be considered a good thing.

"I was bitten by Fenrir Greyback, a legendarily ruthless werewolf, at the age of six. I have lived with this affliction for almost my entire life, and have come to terms with it. The prejudices against magical creatures such as I have remained as archaic as they were three hundred years ago, but that has not stopped me from being a part of the Wizarding world. I am first and foremost a Wizard; trained and educated by this very school you're all attending yourselves. I have only a monthly illness that a dear friend of mine once referred to as my 'furry little problem'. As hard as my life has been living with this condition, I am not ashamed of who I am, and I hope that every one of you will be open-minded enough not to shame me for who I cannot help being. Are there any questions? I'm very willing to answer all of your questions about my affliction in the hopes that it will help you all better understand Lycanthropy."

Sylvia Stuart, a Slytherin, raised her hand timidly in the very back of the classroom. Remus nodded at her to give her permission to voice her question. "Sir…Professor…have you…h-have you ever k-killed anyone?" she asked in a quiet, shaking voice. A few students turned and glared at her, including Hermione, while a few still looked as though they shared the same curiosity.

Having prepared himself for this question earlier that morning, Remus stopped pacing and faced his students once more. "With the invention of the Wolfsbane potion ten years ago, I retain my own sane mind during my transformation. However, prior to the potions invention, I retained very little, if any, memories of my time as a wolf. While here at school, I spent the full moons locked away in a secure place where I did not have access to anyone or anything else. I am positive that I can honestly say that I have never killed anyone – in my wolf form. I have, however, killed a man out of self defense with my wand. Any other questions?" The silence was thick and nervous once more, making Remus feel as though he should have started the lesson first after all.

"Who will be covering your classes for you around and during the full moon, sir?" Lavender Brown asked from just behind Harry.

Remus smiled lightly, knowing he was about to upset his class even more than they already were. "Professor Snape will be covering Defense classes when I find I cannot make it to class myself –" As predicted, the class broke out into groans and complaints, along with a few horrified expressions. Remus lifted a hand, effectively silencing the class once more.

"Now, now, none of that please. Professor Snape is very good at Defense and is a more than capable replacement for my own teaching. Now I know there was a…_discrepancy_, we'll call it, during your third year regarding changes in lesson plans and homework assignments. This year, however, Professor Snape has agreed to stick to my lesson plans and homework, so there should not be any confusion. I fully expect you all to respect Professor Snape and to do the assignments he assigns while he is covering for me, as they're technically my own assignments. Anyone who decides they want to disrespect Professor Snape gets whatever punishment he feels you deserve; I will not revoke the punishments he gives out, so be careful what you say. Now, onto today's lesson; Lycanthropy and Vampirism: comparing and contrasting societal values regarding these creatures, and debunking the numerous myths that have attached themselves over the years…"

Harry packed his book away as the class waited for the bell to ring signaling the end of first hour. He beamed tiredly at Remus, who winked at him from behind his desk.

"That was a really good lesson! He talked about stuff that even _I_ didn't know!" Hermione said excitedly as the bell rang and everyone filed out of the Defense classroom. She had that familiar gleam in her eyes that only knowledge could inspire.

Harry chuckled as they walked down the hall towards the staircases to get to Charms. "Well you knew Remus was a good teacher, Hermione. We're going to ace our Defense N.E.W.T. with him teaching us for sure."

"Or maybe we'll get flees first," a voice muttered from behind Harry and Hermione. Both Gryffindors whirled around as they recognized that voice. It was eerily something Harry would have expected from Draco Malfoy, but that was impossible at present moment.

"Ronald, how _dare_ you! Remus has done nothing to deserve such, such _bigoted_ and rude comments like that! What in the hell has gotten into you?" Hermione shrieked, successfully gaining the entire corridor's attention, paintings included.

Ron's face steadily turned red as he glared not at Hermione, but Harry. "Oh, I'm sorry; I thought it was ok to start acting like a Slytherin. After all, Harry here is well on his way to becoming one himself," he snapped.

"You're delusional, Ron. The only person acting like a Slytherin is you!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Ms. Granger." Unawares to the students crowding around the feuding trio, Severus had walked up on the argument, having heard Hermione's yelling from down the hall.

"Professor, er…I…I'm sorry, I just meant to say that Ron here is acting like a child for no reason. He insulted Professor Lupin because of some stupid vendetta he has against Harry now," Hermione tried to explain, her cheeks burning red as Snape surveyed her curiously.

"Oh, and what did Mr. Weasley say about Professor Lupin that you would deem so Slytherin?" Severus asked, not really caring, but needing the excuse for the points he was about to take.

Harry spoke for Hermione, who looked extremely unwilling to voice the insult as Remus himself walked up beside Snape. "He made a comment about getting flees in Professor Lupin's class, sir."

Ron had the decency to look away from Remus, who had a deeply disappointed and even slightly hurt look on his prematurely aged face. Hermione was actually shaking with rage, hot tears glistening in her honey brown eyes.

"I see. Well, Mr. Weasley, I think a detention is in order, which you will serve with me. That will also be twenty points from Gryffindor, and you will apologize to Professor Lupin – _now_," Severus hissed, his dark eyes glaring angrily at the foolish Gryffindor. The group of students looking on all gasped; they'd expected Snape to agree with Ron.

Ron blushed even deeper, though the redness of his anger hid it well. He shuffled for a second before looking somewhat in Remus' direction, his eyes focused on something over the werewolf's left shoulder. "Sorry."

"Detention, eight o'clock tonight, Weasley. Everyone else, get to class now unless you all wish to serve detention alongside Weasley," Severus said to the assorted group of students watching the punishment take place.

The hall emptied quickly as all the students hastily headed for their next lesson before the tardy bell rang. Both Severus and Remus had a free period for the second lesson, thankfully. Harry and Hermione waved goodbye to Remus – and Harry to Snape as well – as they headed down to Charms.

Severus turned to Remus after the hall had emptied completely, noticing for the first time that Remus was smirking at him. "What are you smirking at?" he asked without venom.

Remus chuckled lightly as he reached out and moved a lock of Severus' hair out of his eyes. "Just thinking about how nice it is to have a Knight in shining armor to come rescue me from the rude little Wizards," Remus said in amusement.

Severus couldn't help the small smile that traced his own lips, even as he rolled his eyes at the Defense Professor. "_Somebody_ has to stand up for the poor discriminated-against werewolf," Severus drawled, not pulling away from Remus as the man stroked his hair back and traced his jaw line with a single finger.

"My hero," Remus whispered, his eyes sparkling in amusement. Just when he was about to lean forward to kiss the Potions Professor, Harry hurried around the corner, looking towards the ground, thankfully, giving Remus and Severus enough time to pull away from each other.

"Harry?" Severus asked, trying to keep the annoyed tone out of his voice and succeeding only partially.

Harry looked up from his searching of the corridor and saw that Snape and Remus were still standing in front of the Defense classroom. He felt distinctly like he had interrupted something and would gladly leave them to it, if only his wand wasn't missing. "I think I dropped my wand, or else someone took it from my pocket. I can't find it anywhere," Harry said, trying not to panic. Losing your wand was like losing a limb; it was potentially traumatic.

Remus frowned as he pulled out his own wand, skimming the hall carefully. "You're sure you had it in class just now?"

"Yes, I had my hand wrapped around it inside my pocket when Ron was being stupid. I have no idea how anyone could have taken it, or how I could have dropped it. Can you try and summon it for me? Maybe it just rolled away or something."

Remus raised his wand and gave it a flick. "_Accio Harry's wand!_" Nothing happened, even as the two men and one teen stood and waited for a good five seconds – if it had rolled far, it would take some time to travel back.

Harry swore vehemently, garnering two glares from the adults. "My wand! I can't do shite without my wand, least of all get rid of Voldemort!"

Severus moved forward and pulled out his own wand, intent on calming the distraught teen. "Calm down, Potter. You need not worry about the Dark Lord bursting into the hall at this very moment, and if he does, I shall let you borrow mine. You've retraced your footsteps since you last saw, or felt, your wand?"

"Yes, obviously, that's why I'm here," Harry snapped, earning another darker, more potent glare from Snape. "Remus' summoning spell would have found it if it was near. I think someone took it. I have no idea how, but…hold on a minute…Ron bumped into me after you dismissed everyone. Maybe he somehow slipped his hand in and pulled out my wand!" Harry exclaimed, trying to cast his mind back for any sign that Ron may have taken his wand.

"Mr. Weasley is in Charms now, correct? I'll escort you back to class and ask to speak with him. Come," Severus said as he nodded his head towards the staircase that led down to the Charms corridor. He turned back to glance at Remus and shrugged apologetically before turning back to Harry and led the way down to the classroom.

Harry waited outside as Snape entered the classroom and fetched Ron, who looked a mixture of scared and confused. Harry was about to ask where the hell his wand was, but Snape held up a hand to cut him off.

"Let me do the talking, Potter. Weasley, Harry here seems to have misplaced his wand, and there is some suspicion that you may have taken it. Do you have the wand?"

Ron glared defiantly at Snape before turning his hateful look towards Harry. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't take anyone's wand," he snapped, glaring daggers at Harry even though he was answering Snape.

"If I searched your person and belongings, I would not find Mr. Potter's wand? Do you know where it is or who did take it? If you do and you lie to me, you'll take most of the heat for it," Severus warned, crossing his own arms over his chest, looking much more intimidating than Ron did.

"I don't have his bloody wand!" Ron said heatedly, his face reddening in anger. Before Snape could react, Hermione came out of the Charms classroom, dragging Pansy Parkinson by the arm along with her.

"Let go of me, you Mudblood little whore!"

"Language, Ms. Parkinson. What's going on?" Severus asked, finding it a little too obvious that Pansy was the one who had taken Harry's wand.

"I found this as it rolled out of Parkinson's bag, Professor; it's Harry's wand," Hermione said, holding Harry's wand out to no one in particular.

Before Harry could take his wand from Hermione, Snape took it from her hand and pulled out his own wand, aiming it at Harry's. "I need to check it for tampering or curses of any kind before I can allow you to have it back or use it, Mr. Potter."

Pansy scoffed as she tried to shake Hermione's hand off of her wrist, glaring acidly at the trio and Snape. "Don't bother; I've not even had time to do anything to it, sir. I found it outside the Defence classroom while Weasel and Potty were having their lover's spat," she said in a high, annoying voice.

Severus checked for curses and any kind of tampering of the wand anyways, not trusting even his own student, and even less just for that reason. When it all came back negative for tampering, Severus handed the wand over to Harry, who sighed in relief.

"You should have turned it in to Professor Lupin or myself, not taken it upon yourself to keep it. I have a feeling you knew exactly whose wand it was and, given more time, you would have done something foul to it, I'm sure. Fifty points from Slytherin and a detention with Filch tomorrow night in the Forbidden Forest, seven o'clock," Severus said firmly, glaring right back at his defiant student.

Pansy stopped struggling against Hermione and nodded shakily, a mix between nervous and angry. She pulled her wrist away from Hermione and turned back to the Charms classroom, not looking back at the trio or her Head of House.

"You need to be more careful with your wand, Harry, and maybe not so quick to suspect your friends when things go afoul," Severus said with a pointed look between Ron and Harry.

"He's not my friend," both Harry and Ron snapped at the same time, glaring at each other. Hermione bit her lip in worry and annoyance as she looked between her two best friends, feeling extremely torn over whom to side with, if anyone at all.

Severus rolled his eyes and gestured uncaringly towards the Charms classroom. "Whatever, get back to class, and please refrain from causing anymore commotion today. Do you realize how many points Gryffindor and Slytherin have both lost this morning? I've much too many point revocation forms to fill out as it is," he griped. He was indeed annoyed about the forms, but the real reason for his surliness was his interrupted time with Remus, which would become less and less as the year got busier and busier.

S~S~S~S

'_Harry,_

_How's school going for you? I can hardly believe you're already a sixth year, yet whenever I speak to you it's hard to believe you're only sixteen; you're much too wise for your age. The Ministry's been really quiet lately, the Order, too. Without Snape spying for us, details have been slim to none. It feels like maybe Voldemort and his Death Eaters are biding their time. It's a false sense of security, at least._

_Anyways, how've you been feeling? I spoke to Remus a couple of days ago and he said there's been no change in Malfoy's condition. I hope you're not still blaming yourself for that. How's Snape been treating you? Remus also mentioned that you're living with him down in the dungeons. Shocked me, to say the least, but he explained that it was for your protection. See, you weren't being abandoned at all. Well, I've got rounds in a few minutes, so I should wrap this up. Please write back and let me know how you're fairing. I'm here for you, Harry._

_Yours,_

_Tonks'_

"Who's that from, Harry?" Hermione asked as she slipped into the seat beside Harry and tried to read his evening post over his shoulder.

Harry quickly folded it and shoved it in his pocket, not really wanting anyone to see it, least of all Hermione. "Just a letter from Tonks; she's checking up on me after the whole Malfoy thing. She was there, too."

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something, but she refrained and turned to her dinner and her newly arrived _Evening Prophet_. She nearly choked on her steak-and-kidney pie as she read the front page. "Sweet Merlin, where does she get this stuff?" Hermione shrieked derisively.

Harry dropped his fork and scooted over to look at Hermione's paper. The headline made his stomach drop and his cheeks burn in anger.

'_The Chosen One chooses; love affair at Hogwarts!_

_In an exclusive interview with none other than Slytherin Prefect Pansy Parkinson, a scandalous love affair has started again between The Boy Who Lived and his brainy ex from way back during the Triwizard Tournament. Sources say that school whiz Hermione Granger broke things off with long time boyfriend Ronald Weasley for the more aesthetically pleasing Harry Potter, a long time friend and past fling._

"_Potter and Weasley have done nothing but fight since the beginning of the school year. Granger is always all over Saint Potter. It's really disgusting, and it actually makes me feel kind of sorry for poor Weasley. Kind of…but not really," said Pansy Parkinson, a vivacious Slytherin sixth year with a bright future ahead of her._

_It just goes to show that Harry Potter, Chosen One and destined Saviour of the Wizarding World will stop at nothing to get what he wants; even stealing his best friend's girlfriend. Till next time, this reporter is out!'_

"She's gone too far this time. I'm writing a letter to the editor!" Hermione said heatedly. She pulled her bag up from underneath the table and took out quill and parchment, intent on writing the letter to the editor at that very moment.

"Hermione, maybe you should wait until after dinner to write that. Besides, it probably won't make any difference anyways. How many letters have you written to the editor, and Skeeter still works there? What does it matter anyways; we know she's just trying to get a rise out of us – well, me in particular," Harry said in a long suffering voice, which earned him a glare from the talented witch.

"It matters to _me_, Harry! I don't care if my letters are ignored; I can't just sit and let this slide without at least _trying_ to get myself heard. I've had it with her ridiculous rumour mongering already. I'm damn _sick_ of it!" Hermione's voice had risen to a hysterical level as she stood up from the table, clutching crumpled parchment and quill in her balled fists. She had gained the attention of the entire Gryffindor table, and almost the rest of the Great Hall, too.

Harry wasn't quite sure what to say as Hermione angrily wiped tears out of her eyes, not dignifying the stares of her peers with recognition as she grabbed up her bag and stalked out of the Great Hall. He was just about to follow when Ron stood up from down the other end of the table and shot a glare at Harry before following Hermione out himself. Harry sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face, jumping violently when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"May I have a word with you, Harry?" Severus asked in a level tone as he tried to resist rolling his eyes at Harry's skittish reaction to his touch. He'd been watching the boy from the staff table during almost the entire meal, noticing first Harry's somewhat suspicious letter, and then Granger's angry outburst. Having forgone the _Evening Prophet_ himself, he hadn't a clue what had upset the witch.

"Yeah, sure," Harry said as he pushed his plate away and stood up, fetching his bag from under the table. He followed the Potions Master out of the Great Hall, trying to ignore the pointed glares and blatant pointing of his fellow students. They made it all the way down to the dungeons and into their quarters before Snape decided to turn and speak to him.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Severus asked as he crossed his arms over his black-clad chest. He was more curious about the letter than the offending _Prophet_ article, but it would have been too obvious to start with that.

Harry was slightly bemused why Snape would care about Hermione's outburst, but he decided to humour the man anyways. "Rita Skeeter wrote another stupid article about me, but this time she drug Hermione into again just like in fourth year. We're all well shot of the annoying woman, but she hit too sensitive a nerve in Hermione, I guess."

"Hmm," was all Severus offered in regard to that bit of drama. Maybe the article was worth a read after all if it included Harry as well. "And your other piece of evening post, who was that missive from?" he asked solicitously.

Harry glared up at the Potions Master from his considerably shorter height. "I don't really see how that's any of your business, sir," he said defiantly. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so determined to keep his letter from Tonks private from everyone, but he thought it might have something to do with the warm, squirming sensation he felt every time he thought about the Auror.

"It _is_ my business, Potter. I'm supposed to help keep an eye on you and protect you, and I cannot do that properly if you keep suspicious letters hidden away from your friends and Professors." Severus had noticed how Harry had quickly stashed the letter away when Granger seemed to gain interest in it, which only served to make the letter even more suspicious, at least to him.

Harry couldn't decide if he wanted to glare more or roll his eyes, so he did both. He knew if he continued to be difficult, Snape would take the letter by force anyways, so he gave in, hoping that explaining who it was from at least would be sufficient enough. "It's just a letter from Tonks, alright? If Voldemort or any Death Eaters were sending me letters, I'd be sure to let you know."

"Do not mock me, Potter. There are many, _many_ ways to stage a letter under somebody else's name. Are you quite sure it is indeed from Ms. Tonks? Do you have a secret code, or perhaps it is charmed in a way so that you know it is in fact from her? Did you check for any curses before opening the letter?" Severus asked in a low hiss as he sneered at the insolent Gryffindor. The foolish boy would be susceptible to carefully placed curses in a letter if he simply _thought_ it was from a trustworthy source.

"Well no, but I'm not paranoid; I don't feel it necessary to check all my post for curses," Harry said indignantly. Snape was overreacting by far, in his opinion.

Severus' last bit of patience was wearing thin very quickly. "It is not paranoia, it is common sense! You do realise there are an impossible amount of people who wish to see you dead, do you not?" Severus took Harry's incredulous glare as an answer before going on. "It is ridiculously easy to slip a very dangerous, if not deadly curse into a simple letter. After so many near death experiences, I thought you'd be intelligent enough to take your own safety seriously!"

Harry blushed in shame and anger, trying to reel in his anger as it threatened to lash out at Snape. "I've never been told to be cautious of my own post, Professor. Isn't all of the post monitored before it's delivered to the students anyways?" Harry asked, remembering the way Umbridge had all of their post inspected as High Inquisitor.

"There are simple precautionary spells that help detect malicious post, but there are ways around them, Potter. There are _always_ ways, and you would be wise to remember that. Seeing as how you failed to do it when you first received it, I'd like you to run some curse detecting spells on the letter now, just to make sure," Severus instructed the Gryffindor, gaining another luke warm glare as the boy reluctantly pulled the letter out.

"I don't know any spells to check for curses, sir," Harry admitted sheepishly, feeling that he should know at least one. He could chalk it up to pour instruction in Defence, but that would fall through quickly as he was almost positive Hermione could probably list at least five just off the top of her head.

"Merlin, Potter, you are a sixth year! You have not learned a single curse detecting spell in six years of magical education? I'll be sure to tell Remus to cover it in classes. Give me the letter, I'll do it myself," Severus snapped as he held out a hand for the folded parchment. Harry just glared more intently. "I'm not going to read it, idiot child! I'm just going to check for curses or other tampering. I've no interest at all in what Nymphadora Tonks has to say to you, I assure you," he said as he took the note out of the teen's grudging hand.

"_Specialis Revealio!_" The parchment glowed green for a second before going back to normal. Severus wasn't satisfied by the simplest of the spells, so he ran another. "_Malice Revealio!_" Another glow of green illuminated the parchment. Finally giving in that the letter was harmless, Severus handed it back to the Gryffindor, who snatched it rather firmly away.

"Do not be such an infernal brat, Potter! I am only trying to insure your safety by being extra cautious. I expect you to start doing so for yourself from now on, meaning you need to practice curse revealing spells on your own as well as in class. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry rolled his eyes as he stored his letter back in his pocket. "Yes, _sir_," he grounded out through gritted teeth.

Severus rubbed tiredly at his eyes as he shooed Harry away with a wave of his hand. "Go start on your homework or something, Harry," he said in an exhausted voice as he scrubbed at his face in frustration. What had he gotten himself into, taking on a teenager – especially when said teenager was _Harry Potter_? He had a feeling he'd be asking himself that very question uncountable times before the school year was over – before the _week_ was over.

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**A/N:** So, what did you all think? E-cookies to those who tell me their opinions of Half-Blood Prince in their review!!!


	17. Muse

**A/N: **Sorry about the long wait, folks! I was on vacation for a few days and then I went through some writer's block, which I'm still suffering some a bit, so I didn't have much time to write. Updates may be slow in coming, as I think I'm going to rewrite chapter 19, which will set me back on time. Be patient my lovelies; inspiration is hard to come by sometimes. Enjoy this chapter!

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**Ch 17.  
Muse**

It was ten minutes after curfew. The halls of Hogwarts castle were quiet and empty, save for one Gryffindor Prefect – not to mention at least six hiding couples in hidden alcoves all throughout the castle. So goes the typical Friday night at Hogwarts.

Hermione was twirling her wand around, trying to focus on patrolling the corridors for errant students, but there was much too much going on in her mind. This year was proving to be the worst one she'd had at Hogwarts to date. From her first year on, she'd always been happily content being the best friend of two very different, yet very similar boys. At first she had nursed quite the soft spot for Harry, born of pity and sympathy for his situation, and infatuation with his famous status. But despite all the constant bickering with Ron, the illusion that it was a miracle they were even friends, it had always been the erratic redhead who held her delicate, yet strong heart.

They had wasted years pretending they weren't head over heels for each other, but that all ended the summer after fifth year. With the Ministry fiasco as a perfect example of how dangerous and unpredictable life could be, Hermione decided she'd had enough of pretending, and took matters into her own hands.

But now…now things were all amuck again. Ron had a lot of good qualities – he was brave, loyal, and honest – but he was also foolishly stubborn, and once he made up his mind, there was no changing it. His prejudices against Snape and generally all things Slytherin blinded him to a lot of things, but mainly how much his best friend needed him. If Harry was that important to him, Ron could have ignored it, he could have accepted Harry's decisions to trust Snape and live down in the dungeons. So, maybe Ron Weasley wasn't so loyal after all.

Hermione had reached the infirmary corridor and was about to head back to Gryffindor when she heard a faint voice. Figuring it was a student out of bed, she headed in the direction it was coming from, only to stop as she realized it was coming from inside the infirmary itself. She paused at the half open doors and listened.

"...don't think Hermione is speaking to me now, either. Skeeter wrote another article, and it pushed her over the edge this time. I don't blame her, but I wish she wouldn't blame me in return. I guess maybe I could have gone about telling her not to write the letter a little differently, but I was tired and upset about the article as well. No matter now...no one is speaking to me, save for Severus, and that's not exactly comforting. I got my head bitten off for not being paranoid and checking my post for curses. I know he means well, but if he wasn't such an arse about it, I wouldn't be so difficult in return. Maybe I do belong in Slytherin after all..."

Hermione moved away from the door, feeling a heavy sinking in her stomach. She slipped her wand back into her robes as she leaned against the wall beside the doors to the infirmary. So that's why Harry was always so tired these days; he spent his nights in the hospital wing talking to Draco. It was really very obvious; she should have realized it sooner. But hearing Harry talk like that, like Draco could hear him, like he was awake and there with him...it grabbed at Hermione's heart and squeezed ruthlessly as she felt even more torn between her best friends. Should she try more to help Harry with waking Draco up, or should she support her boyfriend's stubbornness and write Harry off as well? The right choice was obvious, but that didn't make it any easier to decide.

S~S~S~S

"Severus, we're going to be late! No, you go first this time, I can't keep going first."

"You're too paranoid by half, Lupin. That's my cloak, by the way."

Remus looked down at the cloak he had been preparing to clasp around his neck and sighed, handing it off to Snape instead. "You've no organization when you're in a hurry, you know that?"

Severus smirked as he handed Remus a shoe that had somehow made it under his bed. "Likewise, Lupin."

Remus couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up in his throat and escaped him as he pulled Severus close, fastening the cloak around the Potions Master's neck for him. "It's not like we're going to get caught. Harry's still in the infirmary; he never came back in last night."

Severus straightened his cloak and brushed off a bit of lint, trying to nonchalantly ignore Remus' obvious attempts to get his attention. "Yes, I know. I need to talk to him about that, but I've no idea how to go about it. I wasn't made for...for _guardianship_ or whatever you want to call this situation," Severus said in obvious distaste. He had never wanted to have children, especially the child of a past enemy.

Remus frowned slightly as he smoothed down the lapels of Severus' cloak distractedly. "I think maybe you should leave Harry be when it comes to his night time activities. He seems to be doing ok in his classes; perhaps a bit tired, but not debilitatingly so. He needs the time he spends with Draco, for his own peace of mind. If it starts to become a problem, then you can confront him about it. Just...knowing Harry as I do, forbidding him from visiting Draco in the night will burn every last bridge you've managed to build with him."

"I've built nothing, Remus; I simply allowed for him to construct everything on his own without wrecking it, for once. I don't think it's healthy for him to be so attached to Draco. What if he never wakes up? What if he dies? Then where will Harry be?" Severus asked, pulling away from the Defence Professor as he searched around for his wand. He left off the fact that he didn't know exactly where he himself would be if he lost his godson, but he figured it went without saying the devastation he would experience.

Remus handed the thick black wand to Severus as he pulled the man close once more and stole a quick kiss. "Harry is no stranger to death, Severus. As little as I wish to see him struggle with it once more, I think taking him away from Draco now would only cause more trouble than not. It really is your decision, as you have control over who is allowed to see Draco. Just think about what I said, alright?" Remus asked earnestly, though he knew he wouldn't receive an answer to that. He stole another kiss, a bit longer this time, before pulling away and heading for the exit. "Guess I'm going first again. See you in a bit." With that, he left Severus' bedroom, and the dungeons quarters completely.

Severus stood in his room still, frowning as he did indeed think about what Remus had said. He still had his doubts about allowing Harry to spend all night, every night beside Draco in the infirmary, but maybe the werewolf was right; Harry was causing no problems for himself or others, yet. It would only serve to anger the boy, and indeed make all the progress Severus had made with him null and void. He'd leave it, for now. Severus sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically; he was getting _way_ too soft for his liking.

S~S~S~S

Before Severus could even enter the Great Hall that morning for breakfast, he was accosted by a student, though he was surprised to see which student it was.

"Professor Snape, sir. I really need to speak with you; do you have a minute?" Hermione asked, wringing her small hands nervously as she glanced around the Entrance Hall.

Severus put on his best annoyed scowl and sniffed distastefully. "I suppose if it is that urgent, Ms. Granger. What is it you would like to discuss? No matter how many times you look at me with those sad little eyes, I will not change your essay grade from an A to an E; it just wasn't good enough."

Hermione had a rather convincing scowl herself as she glared at the Potions Master. "I wasn't referring to that essay at all, sir, though I still disagree with you." Hermione had to bite her lip to keep from yelling as Snape simply rolled his eyes at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we...talk somewhere else? Only...it's sort of private, sir."

Severus sighed agitatedly as he glared at the Gryffindor Prefect. "I am not your shrink, Ms. Granger. If you have personal matters to discuss, I suggest Madam Pomfrey or your own Head of House. I do not have time to deal with your angst this morning, or any other time, for that matter."

Hermione let out a quiet growl of anger as she tapped her toe impatiently on the flagstone floors of the Entrance Hall. "I need to discuss something with you regarding Harry and Draco Malfoy. As Malfoy's Head of House, and legal guardian, you're obligated to listen," Hermione said smartly. Aha, Snape couldn't get out of it now!

Slightly taken aback at the girl's sudden attitude, Severus found himself becoming increasingly curious as to what exactly she wanted, and how it involved Harry and Draco. "Very well, Ms. Granger, you've caught my attention. Meet me at my office after breakfast and I will listen to whatever it is you have to say, though I do not guarantee I will care one bit," Severus conceded, waving his hand dismissively.

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said stiffly; if you listened real close, you could hear her add, _'and I didn't expect you to care...'_ as she walked away and headed for the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"Insolent little know it all..." Severus grumbled as he continued his journey up to the staff table. As he sat down beside Remus, he did his usual scan of the Great Hall, looking for that shock of black hair at the Gryffindor table. After a second once-over, Severus realized Harry wasn't there – again. He leaned over his plate, scooting his chair closer to Remus in the process.

"Potter isn't here."

Remus looked up from his eggs and bacon and scanned the Hall just the same as Severus did. He frowned slightly before taking a sip of his coffee. "Well, we know he never came back from the infirmary last night. Perhaps he's still there?" he offered, wondering why Severus was making a point out of it to begin with.

Scanning his own House's table carefully, Severus noticed that there were also a few students missing from there as well; Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle. A sense of foreboding rose in his throat, successfully curving his appetite. "There are a few worrisome Slytherins absent from breakfast as well...ones who have made an active attempt at harming Potter before."

Remus looked over at Severus with a significant look before they both pushed their plates away and rose from the table. A few of the other Professors and most of the students watched their progress as they left the Hall, heading first towards the infirmary.

S~S~S~S

Harry snuffled in his sleep as he felt his cloak slip from his shoulder. Only when he felt a wand poking painfully into his neck did he wake, and fully awake was he. He slowly lifted his head and turned to see Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle standing guard behind her. "Well, good morning to you, too," he said in a scratchy voice, receiving a sharp jab from Pansy's wand in response.

"Shut up, Potter. What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, standing vigil beside Draco's sick bed? You put him here, how dare you come anywhere _near_ him!" Pansy said in a low, shaking voice. She was obviously very upset, as her wand was vibrating threateningly in her grasp.

Knowing that saying the wrong thing could get him hexed ten ways from Sunday, Harry contemplated his answer for a long time, earning himself another painful jab. "I was just checking to see how he was doing. I must have fallen asleep. I'm not doing anything wrong, Pansy."

"Don't! _Don't_ pretend like you give a damn, and don't call me by my first name! Your filthy half-blood lips have _no_ right to speak my name! I'll give you five seconds to get your sorry arse up and out of my sight before I start throwing hexes, Unforgivables included," Pansy threatened, now pressing her wand into Harry's neck with bruising force.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

Pansy's wand went flying through the air in an undignified arch, landing at least twenty feet away. She whirled around, a snarl on her face, then promptly paled and slunk back towards Draco's bed. "P-Professor Snape, sir..."

"What is the meaning of this, Ms. Parkinson? Threatening to use Unforgivables on a fellow student; are you trying to get yourself expelled?" Severus asked in a low hiss, annoyed to see Remus fawning over Harry's bruised neck as if it was a life threatening injury.

"I-I...Sir, this..._He_ shouldn't be here! He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near Draco!" Pansy cried, her face full of obvious distress.

"I am the only one who has any say in who can and cannot visit Mr. Malfoy, as he is under _my_ care. Potter is on the approved list, just as you were, but now I think it unwise to allow you near my godson. You, Crabbe, and Goyle are now forbidden from visiting Draco at all. If I or anyone else catches you near him, it will be an automatic month of detention and one hundred points from Slytherin. You are lucky, _very_ lucky that I do not send you straight to the Headmaster for your threat against Mr. Potter. I have warned you about causing Potter trouble already, do _not_ test me again! One week's detention and fifty points from Slytherin...._each_. Now remove yourselves from my sight before I change my mind about expelling all three of you!" Severus snapped, pointing his students towards the exit with a glare to melt metal.

Pansy sniffled as she tried to keep her tears in, summoning her wand back to her with wandless magic. With one last pathetic glance at Draco, she turned and led the other two Slytherin oafs out of the infirmary.

Harry was gaping openly at the Potions Master, Remus not so obviously so. Harry was rubbing his bruised neck distractedly, stunned silly by the whole situation. "Professor...you just took a hundred and fifty points from your own house..."

"Yes, Potter, I _can_ add," Severus snapped. He walked forward and lifted Harry's chin so he could better see the bruising on the boy's neck. "I'm also taking fifty points from Gryffindor for your irresponsible lack of ability to return to your bed. I have turned a blind eye to your sneaking out of your bed out of respect for your feelings concerning Draco's situation, but no more! The reason you were moved into my quarters was so that I can protect you, but it's a little hard to watch over you if you're _not there_! You continue to blatantly risk your own safety, even after what happened to Draco! I've had enough of it, Potter. Do not make me take your name off the visitor's list as well. You will cease your nightly visits and visit Draco only at the allotted times. Do I make myself clear?"

Harry was shaking with suppressed rage as he jerked his head away from Snape, gathering his cloak and moving slowly away from the bed, sending a glance towards Draco's sleeping form. "Crystal clear, sir," Harry said in a shaking voice. He took one last look at Draco before quickly making his way out of the Hospital Wing.

"Severus, don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

"Do _not_ start on me, Lupin! I have given up _everything_ for that boy; my summer, my privacy, and my usefulness to the Order, and I will be _damned_ if it's all for nothing! Now I'd like a moment alone with my godson, if you wouldn't mind," Severus snapped, clearly dismissing Remus rather than asking for some privacy.

Remus nodded sadly at his lover, brushing his palm gently as he started to move away. "Of course, Severus, I'll see you later." Remus left the infirmary, glancing back at the Potions Master, who had taken Harry's vacated seat beside Draco's bed, his face in his hands. Remus knew most of Severus' recent vindictiveness was due to stress, but sometimes he wondered what on earth he was thinking, getting personally involved with Severus Snape. It was like dating an unpredictable explosive device, and it was tiresome.

Just as Remus was leaving the infirmary, he passed a woman he didn't recognize, but looked eerily like she could have been Lily Potter's twin. It took him a second to realize it was Abigail Smithson, Draco's Healer. "Abby, is that you?" Remus asked as he turned and caught her arm gently.

Abigail cocked her head slightly, trying to figure out who this man was. He obviously knew her, so she must have known him. That gentle smile, and those soft amber eyes...Of course, Remus Lupin, Gryffindor Prefect. "Remus? Sweet Merlin, it's been a long time. I feel like I'm at a Hogwarts reunion these days, after running into Severus and plenty of others at Mungo's. Are you teaching here as well?"

Remus smiled and nodded, remembering the surprisingly mild tempered Slytherin Prefect from way back in the day. "I am, again; I taught two years ago as well. Severus mentioned that you were around again."

Abigail fought the urge to blush, giving a cheeky smile. "Did he, now? That sod isn't going around shouting it from the roof tops is he?" she teased, knowing Severus would never do such a thing. In fact, she remembered that Severus had hated Remus while in school, so why did he make it sound like they were buddy-buddy now?

Severus heard voices in the hall outside of the infirmary and was about to go yell at the students for making a racket when he saw his worst nightmare unfurl in front of his eyes; Remus and Abby – talking to _each other_. Ok, so maybe not his _worst_ nightmare, but certainly an unpleasant one that promised to cause him more grief than he was willing to deal with. He decided he'd better not interrupt, lest he cause a very awkward moment between the three of them.

"Oh no, he just mentioned it in passing, really. Well, I'm sure you've things to be doing, so I won't hold you up anymore. It was nice seeing you," Remus said, trying not to smirk at the way the former Slytherin's face fell at his flippant tone.

"Yeah, you too, Remus. See you around."

Abby shook her head gently as she continued on towards her destination. She had just managed to spare a few minutes to come check on the Malfoy boy; she really shouldn't have dawdled as much as she already had. She stopped abruptly as she spotted Severus sitting beside Draco's bed, his head cradled tiredly in his hand. "Are you alright, Severus?" she asked timidly, hoping she wasn't stumbling upon some uncharacteristic display of emotion on Snape's part.

Severus looked up at the Healer, his expression blank. He was pretending he hadn't heard the exchange between her and Remus, if only because it made it easier to ignore his conflicting feelings. "I'm terrific, Abigail," he said in a bored drawl, feeling his stomach flip as she giggled. Only Abby could find his infuriating sarcasm _funny_.

"You look it, too. I just came to do a quick check-up on Draco before I have to do rounds at Mungo's. I won't be too long," she assured the Potions Professor as she pulled out Draco's chart and began scanning it over.

"Please, take your time. I was just leaving, anyways; student conference, unfortunately. Contact me if there are changes, if you would," said Severus as he stood to leave. He felt extremely exhausted and wanted to get his meeting with Granger done with as soon as possible.

Abby caught Severus' wrist and halted his departure, catching his arched eyebrow with amusement. "Are you sure you're ok, Severus? You look...tired."

Severus laughed mirthlessly as he gently pulled his wrist away from the Healer, wanting the tingling that travelled up his arm to go away – to go far, _far_ away. "You've no idea. If you'll excuse me..." he left without another word, not feeling in the least bit guilty at Abby's disappointed frown, or at least that's what he told himself.

S~S~S~S

"There you are, sir. I was just about to go looking for you – "

Severus walked directly passed Granger and opened the door to his office, pointing sharply towards the door. "In."

Hermione quickly followed orders, though with a frown at the Potions Master's obviously bad mood. She hadn't exactly expected a cheerful welcome, but she could do without his vindictiveness at the moment. She settled herself in the chair across from Snape's desk, waiting for him to take his seat before leaning purposefully forward. She was cut off, however, by Snape's pale, long fingered hand.

"Before you go off into a tangent about Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, I have a few questions of my own to ask of you. During the attack on Diagon Alley, you and Mr. Weasley were standing much closer to the group of Death Eaters than I. Can you recall hearing the specific incantations any of them used when they sent their curses towards Harry and Draco?"

Hermione was slightly thrown by that curve ball, and Snape's use of Harry's first name. She furrowed her brow as she tried to think back to that day. She could vaguely remember hearing one, and being curious about it afterwards as well. "I do remember hearing one, sir, but I've never heard of such a spell before. The incantation was _Cruorem Incendio_. I know what it translates to directly, but the curse I'm unfamiliar with."

"A blood boiling curse is not exactly something that you'd learn at Hogwarts, Ms. Granger. You can remember no others? What about Mr. Weasley, do you think he would remember any?" Severus asked as he pulled out a quill and wrote down the incantation the girl had just spoken.

Hermione shook her head slowly, disappointed that she could help no further. Sure, Malfoy had always been a right git to her and her friends, but she'd never wish this fate upon anybody, besides perhaps Voldemort himself. "I'm sorry, sir, that's the only one I can remember. I'm not sure Ron remembers any, but I can ask him and let you know."

Severus nodded curtly as he set his quill down and crossed his hands in front of himself. "Very well, I'd appreciate it. Now, what was it you wanted to discuss about Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione shifted nervously in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her arms. She finally gave a dramatic sigh and leaned forward. "I was out doing my Prefect duties last night patrolling the corridors. I walked by the infirmary and I could hear somebody talking, so I stopped to see who it was. It was Harry and...and he was talking to Malfoy, as if Malfoy was awake and responsive." Hermione gave another dramatic sigh and caught the Potions Professor's eye pointedly, her expression full of concern.

"He won't even talk to Ron and me like that anymore, not since Sirius Black died. Harry _needs_ Draco, Professor. I know there are plenty of people working on trying to wake him up and fix it, but...I want to help, I want to do something too. If Draco can get Harry to open up like that while he's comatose, imagine how much he'd open up if Draco were awake. Something obviously changed this summer, sir; between you and Harry, _and_ between Draco and Harry. The things you've done for him...well, Harry would be dead without you, and I'm very thankful that he has you to help protect him. I know that now more than ever, trust is important, it's sometimes all we have and...I trust you, and I want to help you research cures for Draco."

There was a long pause, the tension in the air swirling around uncomfortably. Severus was thinking, _really_ thinking, about how awfully dramatic Gryffindors could be. Could the girl not just simply offer her services and be done with it? No, she had to give a long passionate speech, brimming with angst and emotion. If Severus had been approached like this with the mentality he possessed only a few months ago, he probably would have sneered at Granger and told her to take her melodramatics and cry to someone else, but that was back then. Now, Severus knew a little compassion could go a long way, even if it made him cringe horribly on the inside. Besides, he had to admit that the girl was extremely intelligent beyond her years, and he could really use the help of another brilliant mind.

"Well, Ms. Granger, you've already begun to help. I've been researching different dark spells and how they react with one another. I had heard one of the incantations myself, and now I have the incantation you said you heard. I can compare the two, and perhaps if Mr. Weasley heard one as well, we might be able to start to unravel a way to counteract the effects. I will give you the name of the second incantation, and you can start your own research on its counteractions with the blood boiling curse. Perhaps with two minds working on it, a solution will be found more quickly," Severus said, pulling a clean sheet of parchment towards him. He quickly wrote down the spell he'd been researching for a while now and handed it over to Hermione.

"Thank you, sir. I'll try my best to find some more information. I hope Ron heard one of them as well, that could really help," Hermione said, excited and anxious enough to run straight to the library from the dungeons. She could do this; this was what she was good at. She would help wake Draco up...she would give Harry his muse back.

S~S~S~S

Ten pieces of crumpled parchment later, and Harry still didn't have a response to send back to Tonks. Every time he would complete a draft and read it over, he would find that each letter was either ridiculously maudlin, or extremely too formal. He just couldn't seem to find a happy medium. Deciding to take a break for a bit, Harry set aside his quill and parchment, pushing his chair away from his desk.

That night was going to be...interesting, to say the least. Harry hadn't actually slept in his own bed for at least a week. He wasn't exactly sure he'd be able to sleep without being scrunched up seemingly uncomfortably in a hard chair, as had become habit for him.

Harry was still seething from his telling off that morning from Snape. If he had known that Harry was sneaking off into the night the whole time, why did he wait until _that_ morning to get in his face about it? Obviously, the sudden attack by Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle must have something to do with it, but what exactly? Snape had seemed...a little concerned? Nah, he must be imagining things due to sleep deprivation.

Harry's bedroom door swung open suddenly, making him jump violently and upset his ink over the most recent draft of his letter to Tonks. He let out a growl of frustration as he pulled out his wand and siphoned off the spilt ink...including what he had written. Today just wasn't his day.

Harry turned his annoyed glare on his Potions Professor, who was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "Is there something you wanted, Professor?" he asked in a clipped tone.

Severus' eyebrows rose slowly at the boy's tone, but decided not to comment on it – for now. "I think today would best be served working on your Occlumency, since we've lost quite a bit of time since classes have started. Have you been practising everyday like we talked about?"

Harry gave up on his quill and parchment and led the way out into the sitting room, where they usually worked on Occlumency. More room to fall over when exhausted, you see. "Yes, I have been. Professor McGonagall has already yelled at me a few times for 'zoning out' in class. I tried to explain it to her, but she seems awfully stressed out this year. I noticed her temper has been more like...well – yours, no offense," Harry said with a smirk as he sat down on the cushy couch across from the armchair Snape had taken.

Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt up. He had already done away with his stuffy robes, having been accustomed to being comfortable around Harry now. "Professor McGonagall has been increasingly stressed out this year, yes. She's had to take on a lot more duties than she's accustomed to, even with being a Head of House and the Deputy Headmistress. Professor Dumbledore has been...shirking his duties, we'll call it, in favour of his outside work for the Order, or so he says. Minerva has been buried by the sheer amount of pressure on her since before term even began. So, if she's been a bit temperamental this year, forgive her."

"Why would Dumbledore do something like that? Doesn't he realize she's already got enough on her plate as it is?" Harry asked with an incredulous expression. It was just another example of how Dumbledore was acting out of character.

"_Professor_ Dumbledore, Potter. I'm sure he realizes Minerva is quite busy, but frankly, I think he doesn't much care anymore. Enough about the Headmaster, you're stalling," Severus said in amusement as he pulled out his wand and sat on the edge of his chair.

Harry scowled and pulled out his own wand. "I'm not stalling, I was trying to say that I _have_ been practising, but it's hard to do it in class when all the Professors yell at me for it. I can't improve on learning to Occlude and not zoning out if they keep yelling at me. Maybe you could write a note to all my teachers, tell them about how I'm trying to learn Occlumency so they'll leave me alone?" Harry asked hopefully, knowing he was probably pushing it too far. Sure, Snape had to protect him and house him, but he didn't necessarily have to write notes to his teachers like a parent would. That was just too..._personal_.

"Sure, Potter, I'll write you a note, but the point of practising in class is to _not_ lose yourself in the concentration. This is the most difficult phase, I assure you, but there's nothing more I can do to help you now. This is where you must teach yourself. Now, concentrate on that scene again, the one you used last time. I want you to actively push against me without actually forcing me out. Last time you forcefully pushed me out, and that did not feel good, thank you," Severus said with a slight sneer as he raised his wand.

Harry flushed and tried to prepare himself for the mental invasion. "Sorry, but you didn't tell me how I was supposed to push you out. I didn't know it was going to hurt you."

Severus glared balefully at the young Gryffindor as he cleared his own mind; not that it wasn't already essentially clear by default. "You admitted yourself that you imagined physically tossing me out; what were you expecting that to do to me, Potter?"

"Well if you would have told me to ease you out, I would have! Besides, if it's Voldemort or another enemy in my head, I won't give two shites about hurling them out physically," said Harry, shrugging indifferently.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling his skin crawl at Harry's tone. It reminded him _way_ too much of his father at the tender, stupid age of fifteen. "Do not say his name, Potter. While you are training with me, you will take care to _not_ injure my mind. I will be absolutely no good to you as a drooling invalid."

Harry rolled his eyes as he raised his wand, having heard the same speech already before. "Yeah, alright; I get it. Can we get on with it now?"

"Do not act so blithely when it comes to matters of the mind, Potter! It's that careless, arrogant attitude that will see to your demise. Get ready now, Potter – _Legilimens!_"

"Ah damn," Harry muttered just before his mind was invaded once again. He'd become used to the sensation after their many lessons, but the power needed to force a presence out of your mind was beyond exhausting, and much worse was just keeping the intruder at bay instead of just tossing them out. Snape had insisted Harry needed to learn to do both, lest he find himself too weak to completely throw an enemy out, he'd still be able to keep them mostly away from what was important. Even if Harry had been sleeping normally, he still would have been worn completely out by these exercises. As it was, he could barely keep Snape at the forefront of his mind for a measly two minutes before all his barriers broke. He was forced to relieve his memories of the Shrieking Shack incident for his folly.

Severus mentally stumbled out of the boy's mind, falling back in his chair as he did so. He took a few panting breaths before sitting up, stinging words already on the tip of his tongue. Before he could get a single insult out, however, Harry swayed where he sat, and then promptly fell to the floor.

"Harry!" Severus shouted as he jumped quickly from his seat and moved around the coffee table. He kneeled down beside the Gryffindor, dropping his wand as he pulled the too-thin teen half into his lap and turned his pale face towards him. "Harry, can you hear me? Open your eyes!"

Nothing, not a flinch, not a moan. Nothing. Severus grasped the boy's thin wrist in his fingers, feeling for a pulse. He found it, but it was irregular and much too fast. He quickly stood and gathered the boy in his arms, heading towards the floo. Juggling the boy carefully, he took a handful of floo powder and threw it in, whisking them both straight to the infirmary.

"Sweet Merlin, Severus! You nearly gave me a coronary! What's going on, is Mr. Potter alright?" Madam Pomfrey said as she bustled over to the bed closest to the floo, where Severus had deposited his charge.

"Sorry, Poppy. We were having an Occlumency lesson and his shields broke down. I was ejected quite roughly from his psyche before he passed out cold. I think he may have hit his head when he fell as well. His pulse is much too quick. I'm not sure what happened," Severus tried to explain, hating how his voice sounded so worried even to his own ears.

Poppy moved forward and drew her wand, waving it in an arch over Harry as she performed a few diagnostic spells. "This child is suffering from fatigue, Severus. Has he not been getting much sleep? He's drained, that's all. The effort it took for him to push you out of his mind took the last out of him, I'm afraid. He'll need to stay at least one night here so I can monitor him, but a good long bit of Dreamless Sleep should do him nicely. I daresay an earlier bedtime should be put in place...poor thing, after all he's been through..." she trailed off as she moved away to grab the Dreamless Sleep potion from the store room.

Severus frowned as he pulled a chair close to the hospital bed and sunk down in it. He had known Harry had been spending all night in the hospital wing with Draco, and yet he let it go on. And now, now the boy had literally passed out from exhaustion. Obviously, Severus failed dismally when it came to caring for children. He glanced up when Poppy came back, carrying the blue potion along with a change of powder blue pyjamas.

"I'm afraid I'll have to wake him up for this. You may need to calm him down, so prepare yourself."

Severus stood up and moved closer to the bed, gently resting a hand on the boy's arm. He nodded at the matron to awaken the boy.

"_Ennervate!_"

Harry's eyes fluttered open slowly. The first thing he became aware of was the warmth around him; he was obviously not in the drafty dungeons anymore. He blinked a few time before the world came into focus, and found Snape peering down at him, his eyebrows knit in apparent worry. "Well, that didn't quite work the way I planned," he muttered, trying to push himself to a sitting position.

Poppy leaned over and propped up Harry's pillows, nodding at Snape to help the boy sit up properly. "You've not been taking proper care of yourself, Mr. Potter. You passed out from exhaustion. How much sleep do you get a night?" she questioned, not yet giving the boy the sleeping potion.

Harry had the decency too look chagrined as he squirmed slightly under the matron's gaze. "Er...not enough?"

Poppy sighed as she handed over the pyjamas and glared lightly at the Gryffindor. "No, it would seem not. You'll be staying overnight for your troubles, Mr. Potter. Get changed and then it's off to bed with some Dreamless Sleep to help you catch up. No more staying up at all hours, you hear me? It's not healthy for a growing boy, especially if you're going to have people poking around in your mind all the time," she chastised, sending a mild glare at Snape as well.

"The point of the lessons is to make sure people _aren't_ poking around in his head, Madam," Snape said with a half sneer, knowing she was perfectly right and highly irritated by that fact.

"Hmm, yes – well, no more Occlumency for a few days, if you will. Give his mind a bit of a rest up, and yours too, I daresay. Change, Harry, then drink your potion." Poppy set the corked potion on the bedside table and moved away, drawing the curtains around Harry's bed to give him some privacy, though Snape was still standing there.

Harry sighed heavily as he stood up slowly, only realizing as he tried to move how incredibly tired he really was. Occlumency really was a pain in the arse – and the head, Harry mused as he rubbed the bruised spot on his forehead where he'd met the cold stone floor. He tried to ignore his Potions Professor as he turned his back to him and pulled his shirt off over his head and reached for his pyjama top. He stumbled as his vision swam in his tired state, nearly sending him to the floor again. He felt a strong hand close over his bare arm and looked up to find Snape standing beside him.

"Careful, Potter. Would you like some assistance, or do you wish to fall on your head again and _really_ injure yourself?" Severus snapped, steadying the swaying boy with his firm grip.

"Could you just help me without being a git for once, please?" Harry mumbled tiredly, knowing he probably shouldn't have said that, but too tired to really care about the repercussions.

The tired slur in the boy's voice, and the way he pleaded with Severus was the only reason the Potions Master didn't go off on a tirade about respect. He let out a heavy, frustrated sigh as he picked up the shirt and undid the buttons, helping Harry into it and doing the buttons up with a quick flick of his wand. He allowed the boy the use his arms as support as he looked away so Harry could change his pants with some dignity. Severus looked back as Harry let go of him and climbed slowly back into the bed. The teen truly did look exhausted, and it sent another pang of unwanted guilt into his gut. He picked up the sleeping potion from the table and uncorked it, handing it to Harry. "Sleep now, idiot child."

Harry took the vial and slugged it back, pushing the glass back in Snape's hand as he slumped down into his pillows and closed his eyes. He was nearly asleep when he felt his glasses being slid off his nose, and his hair brushed gently out of his eyes.

"What am I going to do with you, Harry..." a deep voice said as he finally fell into the blackness that was sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** So Snape is back to his usual snippy ways, as I promised he would be. I hope he seems more in character now than in previous chapters. PLEASE review and let me know what you all think! I thrive on your opinions, and I could really use some reassurances and some inspiration right about now. Don't hold your breath for chapter 18; I won't post that until I have 19 figured out, and at least part of 20 written. Reviews make me write faster!


	18. Fracture

**A/N:** I'm so sorry this is so late! My beta seems to have fallen off the face of the earth, and I'm tired of waiting, so this is unbeta'd! Sorry for any mistakes. From now on, if my beta doesn't get back to me within a few days, I'll post without it being edited. It's not like it changes that much. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED SINCE ITS ORIGINAL POSTING!**

* * *

**Ch 18.  
Fracture**

Hermione slid into the seat beside Ron at the dinner table, looking around for Harry, but not spotting him. She hadn't seen him all day and it was starting to worry her a bit. She pulled a plate of chicken towards her as she tried to convince herself that she was hungry.

"You alright, 'Mione? You look tired," Ron commented as he piled his plate with extremely too much food. He hadn't seen much of his girlfriend recently, and he was sure it had a lot to do with _Potter_.

Hermione sighed as she pushed her mashed potatoes around her plate disinterestedly. "During the attack on Diagon Alley, do you remember any of the spells the Death Eaters used when they attacked Harry and Malfoy?" she said, launching straight into the point of the matter. She'd been worried Ron would avoid the question out of sheer spite, so she'd dallied in asking.

Ron dropped his fork and gave Hermione a strange look before he retrieved it. "No, I wasn't really paying that much attention. Why, what do you care?" he asked using the same fork that had just touched the ground to shovel potatoes into his mouth.

Hermione grimaced as she pushed her own plate away, losing her already shoddy appetite. "Professor Snape asked me to ask you about it. He's been researching the ways different dark spells interact with each other in the hopes of working out a cure for Draco."

"'_Draco'_? What the hell, Hermione, you've not gone to the Dark Side too, have you?" Ron asked incredulously as he abandoned his own dinner in favour of glaring at his girlfriend. This was it, the final straw. That git had turned his own girlfriend against him now.

Hermione slammed her hand onto the table, upsetting a cup of pumpkin juice and making everyone near them jump. "Damn it, Ronald! I've had enough of that already! I'm just trying to help wake Draco up – yes, _Draco_! How can you be so heartless as to begrudge somebody their life, no matter who they are? You've got to get your priorities right, Ron, and stop being such a prat about everything! Harry needs us, but you're too bloody pig-headed to be there for him. I'm done dancing around this. Either grow up, or leave me the hell alone, you hear me? I'm _done_!"

Hermione had stood up from the table by the end of her tirade, shaking with emotion as she glared at her – at _Ronald_. She waited about five seconds for a response, but only received a blushing glare in return. She turned on her heel at left the Great Hall, smiling to herself as she heard a few people cheering her on from the various House tables.

S~S~S~S

"...Severus?"

Severus shifted in his sleep, feeling a warm hand tracing his cheek. He clenched his eyes closed against a bright beam of light trying to break through his eyelids. He was determined not to wake up; at least not until he felt a pair of soft lips press against his own. His eyes slid open as the kiss was broken, spotting Remus in the faint wand light trained on him. He glanced around and saw that he had fallen asleep beside Harry's bed in the infirmary.

"What time is it?" Severus asked in a quiet, raspy voice. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes as he sat up, feeling his back protest after being curled in a strange position for so long.

Remus lowered his wand, draping them in darkness as he flicked off the light. "It's nearly four in the morning. Poppy saw that you'd fallen asleep, but she didn't want to wake you; she said you looked so peaceful," Remus whispered with a cheeky grin. "I was wondering where you were when you never showed up in your quarters, and then I realized Harry wasn't in his room either. You scared the hell out of me, actually."

Severus straightened out his crumpled robes as he looked over at the sleeping Gryffindor in the bed beside him. Harry was definitely dead to the world, his chest rising and falling steadily, his expression relaxed. He couldn't believe he'd fallen asleep at Harry's bedside.

"I must have dozed off, I don't even remember falling asleep," said Severus, turning back to look at Remus, who had an unreadable expression on his prematurely aged face.

"You must be exhausted, Severus. Come on, you need your bed. Harry's fine here; quite dead asleep, actually."

Severus sighed as he stood up and followed Remus out of the infirmary, glancing back at Harry and then at the curtain enclosed bed where he knew Draco to be. He was obviously doing something wrong; both of his charges were in hospital, after all.

The two men walked in silence all the way down to Severus' dungeon quarters, not even sparing a glance for each other until the wall-turned-door was closed and locked behind them. Remus' breath hitched as he was suddenly pushed against the wall, Severus pressing extremely close to him.

"Make me forget, Remus...Make it go away," Severus whispered almost inaudibly; a sign that he was extremely vulnerable and liable to break if rejected.

Remus let out a slow breath as he wrapped his arms around the Potions Master, pulling him even closer. Severus never allowed anyone to see him weak or vulnerable; it was too great a risk to him. This was a first, and Remus was glad he was being let in to see his lover like no one else was allowed to. He caught Severus' lips in a searing kiss, feeling the man melt against him.

"I'll fix this, I'll fix you," Remus whispered back before stealing another fierce kiss. He pushed the Potions Professor gently back, then took his hand and led him to his room, intent on fixing the broken man.

S~S~S~S

Time passes quickly when you're bogged down with stress, though Harry could have sworn it felt like time had stopped completely sometimes. His school work was getting more and more demanding, leaving less time for him and Hermione to research the three spells they now had to work with to try and wake Draco up. Even though he had done as Snape had told him and stopped sneaking out to see Draco at night, he still stayed up late at night with many a tome on Dark Magic, researching in the night what he couldn't in the day. Apparently he hadn't learned from his stint in the hospital wing after passing out from an Occlumency lesson due to exhaustion.

Ron was still being as stubborn as ever, and even more so now that Hermione had broken up with him and started giving him the silent treatment. The glares he sent towards Harry and Hermione made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck, but it also made him extremely sad. Ron had been his very first friend, even apart from Hermione. It was like fourth year all over again, but this time, Harry didn't have a dragon to battle to prove himself.

Snape was…well, Snape was Snape. He'd certainly lost the snarkiest edge to his attitude, at least towards Harry, but now he had found new victims, and shocking ones they were. Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were singled out by Snape regularly now; the thugs outside of the classroom, considering they didn't get anywhere near the O.W.L. to take Advanced Potions, even with the lowered requirements. Since Pansy's attempted attack on Harry in the hospital wing, Snape had taken at least another round one hundred points or so just from her. It was hurting his reputation as esteemed Gryffindor hater, but with his spy cover already blown, he needn't be undeservedly cruel to the lions anymore. Now he could spread his contempt evenly through the Houses, including his own.

And Snape was getting much better at his job of care-taker. Harry was learning to appreciate the man more and more, and their relationship reflected on it. They hardly ever fought anymore, and when they did, it was usually a tit-for-tat thing, where Harry returned just as much as he got, and Snape learned to back down when necessary. After all, fighting with a sixteen year old was pretty pointless when they're _always right_, don't you know.

There was still no change in Draco's condition. They'd tried an experimental spell reversal potion, but nothing happened other than making his temperature drop to near dangerous levels. Needless to say, they were wary of trying out any more experimental remedies. Healer Smithson was becoming nearly as irritated and desperate as Snape and Harry. She confessed to feeling like a complete failure as a Healer, after having had so much hope when Draco was first brought in. A month and a half had passed already, but to no avail for poor Draco.

Remus was growing weary of Severus' antics. After the first two weeks of term had come and gone, the Potions Master had been coming up with excuse after excuse for why he couldn't spend time with the werewolf. Though a lot of these excuses were valid, it was the obviously made up ones that irked Remus to the core. Snape may be good at lying, but the man didn't even try hard enough _not_ to make it obvious that he was pointedly avoiding Remus.

In lieu of Snape's abandonment, old feelings had started to rise and choke the werewolf, making him draw back into himself. He'd never missed Sirius so much, not even when the man had been in Azkaban. Remus missed the warmth, the kisses, the companionship, and certainly the sex, but what he missed the most was that sense of unconditional love. His tryst with Severus, well…that was mostly about sex, maybe a few tender feelings here and there, but love; love didn't have a place in their relationship, or so it seemed. It was unravelling rather quickly, and Remus was tempted to hurry it along so he could pick up the pieces of himself and move on…again. He'd known he was making a mistake getting involved with the Potions Master to begin with, but he let his loneliness take over, and it had cost him more than he cared to admit. That he'd moved on so quickly from Sirius to be with someone who used to despise him…Remus felt very, _very _stupid, especially since it was starting to look like he was just being used. Figures, he should have known; shame on him, and his rebound relations.

Dumbledore was…missing, most of the time. He'd leave the castle for hours, sometimes days, leaving all the duties to poor Minerva, who was starting to crack under the pressure; she had to start taking a regimen of Calming Draughts every day. Nobody ever knew quite where the Headmaster was running off to, but they knew this; not even the Order had a clue what the old man was up to, and that boded ill.

The Order, well…they were getting about as much done as a cure was being found for Draco. Without their spy, crucial information on the Dark Lord was greatly lacking, and many attacks occurred before they could stop them. The death toll was rising steadily, and the Wizarding World had started to panic. The Muggles had even caught wind of the attacks by loss of their own ranks in mysterious murders and things the Prime Minister deemed as 'natural, freak disasters', simply because he had no idea what they really were, and he needed to tell his public _something_.

The Ministry of Magic was crumbling at the foundation as well. Fudge was steadfastly ignoring much of the highly publicized murders and crimes, claiming that it was the fault of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He'd fired the Head, Kingsley Shacklebolt, in an attempt to make it look like they were doing something within the Ministry itself, and had appointed the last person anyone would have thought as the man's predecessor; Arthur Weasley. It was great news for the financially lacking Weasley family, but a very strange move on the Minister's part, making many people wary of his sanity. People simply don't go from Muggle Liaison piss-on, to Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Kingsley Shacklebolt had actually started a petition to impeach the Minister on principle of his lacking intelligence. It was gaining popularity, much to the dismay of poor, foolish old Fudge.

The world, Magical and Muggle alike, was in disarray, and Voldemort simply loved it. He revelled in the pain and suffering, the confusion and outrage. That his machinations were coming to fruition made him salivate like a hungry dog. It wouldn't be long now, and he'd be able to make his move. It wouldn't be long…and all he needed to focus on now was getting to Potter. However, that was proving to be more of a problem than the Dark Lord was willing to admit – _ever_. With the Brat-Who-Lived ensconced safely in Snape's little womb at Hogwarts, Voldemort dared not touch the school. No, not yet, they were not ready for that battle yet. But soon…oh, _very_ soon.

S~S~S~S

After spending most of the night tossing and turning after staying up late into the night doing research, Harry did _not_ appreciate his alarm spell going off at seven in the morning. He considered cancelling it and going back to sleep, but that was out of the question when you shared living space with none other than one of your Professors. With a heavy sigh and a groan of exhaustion, Harry rolled out of bed, and promptly squeaked in fright as Snape stepped in front of him.

"Holy hell, Severus, you scared me half to death!" Harry snapped as he clutched as his chest and tried to control his breathing. He _hated_ when Snape did that, which was usually every time he woke up late.

"You should have been up an hour ago. I was simply checking to make sure you hadn't fallen ill. Obviously, you're fine," Severus said in a long suffering tone, earning him a slight glare.

Harry scoffed and bent down over his trunk, rummaging to find a pair of clean socks. "Yeah, fine, we'll call it that for now," he grumbled under his breath trying his best to ignore Snape, who was still standing behind him, but now with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Is there something wrong that I should be aware of, Potter, or are you simply just not a morning person?" Severus asked with his classic sneer. As far as he had come with Harry, he still detested foolish teenage angst of any kind.

Harry slammed the lid of his trunk closed and stood up straight, turning on Snape with a sneer of his own. "Yes, there is something _wrong_; there are lots of bloody things that are _wrong_! I can't sleep at night, so I read, and research, and write – for _nothing_. I can't fix him, no matter how much research Hermione and I do, I can't focus in class because I'm so damn tired all the time, and you're always breathing down my neck about one thing or another! I need space, damn it!" Harry yelled, realizing too late that he sounded very much like a five year old throwing a temper tantrum.

Severus just stared at the angry Gryffindor, waiting for his anger to subside somewhat before responding, as not to stoke the already roaring flames. "You should have come to me and asked for a sleeping draught if you couldn't sleep. Did you learn nothing about sleep deprivation, or do you enjoy spending the night in the infirmary in a charmed sleep? I know you are frustrated about Draco's condition because I feel the same way. The difference is I know how to control myself. I don't 'breath down your neck', I only check on you to make sure you're doing alright, but I've obviously failed spectacularly at that, haven't I? You can have as much space as you want, Harry, but it is my job to protect you – "

"There you go again with the whole 'it's my job to protect you' bollocks!" Harry mocked, not willing to let this anger go for some reason. He needed an outlet for all his pent up emotions; Snape was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Protecting me and being there for me are two different things. I _know_ it's your job, but I need you to be there for me as well and that includes giving me my space when I need it! I'm not used to having somebody care..." he trailed off, reluctant to finish that line of thought and expose himself more to the Potions Master than he already mistakenly had. This whole morning was turning into a train wreck.

Taking a deep breath and trying to let his frustration with the boy slide, Severus pulled patience from somewhere deep within him. He walked around Harry and sat on the bed, gesturing that Harry should do the same and waiting to continue until Harry complied and sat beside him, looking difficult. "I'm sorry that that phrasing bothers you, but it is the truth. I will not reiterate; it will only serve to make you angry once more. The reason I agreed to have you move down here was so that I could protect you more easily and be here for you when you needed it. If I have seemed a bit overbearing as of late, I apologize, but I have just as much stress, if not indeed more, than you do yourself. I _am_ human, Harry, I do make mistakes. As for not being used to having somebody care...Well, plenty of people care for you, so that's not true. I think what you mean to say is that you're not used to having a parental figure in your life. I understand, Harry, I do. I'll try to ease up a bit on you."

Harry swallowed heavily, turning his face away from Snape. The Potions Professor had hit the nail right on the head, and it unnerved Harry a little to know he was so transparent to Snape. "Ok, thanks...I'm sorry for going off on you, I'm just really tired," Harry said with a frown, meaning it honestly.

Severus stood up and shook out his black robes, checking the clock and realizing that they were both soon going to be late. "I'll get you that sleeping draught tonight, and possibly some Calming draught to take the edge off your insomnia. We're going to be late, so I suggest you hurry up and get dressed."

Harry just nodded and gathered his clothes for the day, going into his bathroom and locking the door behind him. He could already tell today was _not_ going to be a good day.

S~S~S~S

"Harry! Wait up, I wanted to talk to about something," Ginny called from her spot at the dinner table. She quickly grabbed up her bag and waved off her friends before following Harry, who had waited for her outside of the Great Hall.

As little as Harry wished to be bothered today, he couldn't find it in himself to brush Ginny off. He already knew this was going to be about Quidditch; it usually was. "What's up?" he asked lamely.

"Well, I've been thinking about the line-up for the Gryffindor/Slytherin match. With Dean out of commission because of his detention, it would really be better if I played Chaser, and we used a reserve Seeker. I know you said you didn't even want to stay on as a reserve, but I kind of placed you on the roster as reserve Seeker anyways. Now with Malfoy still being in a coma, the new Slytherin Seeker is just awful, not that Malfoy was that fantastic to begin with – "

"Ginny, I really need to go get some homework done before my Occlumency lesson, I'm sorry. Look, I told you I didn't want to play reserve, so my answer is no," Harry said coldly, getting highly annoyed with the way Ginny was talking about Draco; never mind that, this time last year, he would have agreed with her.

Ginny frowned and stopped walking, her expression showing annoyance. "Harry, we really need you for this one game. Couldn't you just play this once, and then I'll try-out new reserves for Seeker – "

"There are things in life much more important than Quidditch, Ginny! Draco has been in a coma for nearly two months, and all you care about is Quidditch! You may not give a damn about whether or not he ever wakes up, but I do. We're fighting a war, Ginny. I can't be a careless teenager like you; my destiny has been chosen for me and I must fulfil it, or else everyone will suffer. I carry the weight of the Wizarding world on my God damn shoulders; I don't need the added pressure of you constantly on my back as well," Harry snapped, gaining a few scandalized and curious stares from fellow students leaving the Great Hall. He'd had enough already today; he just couldn't handle Ginny's mollycoddling as well.

Ginny was definitely angry now as her face turned red, much like her brother's often did when upset. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Harry. "_'Careless teenager'?_ I worry just as much about this damn war as you do, Harry! Every _God damned_ member of my family is putting their lives on the line to help protect _you_ and help _you_ succeed in finishing You-Know-Who. I worry every day that I'm going to get news that one of them has been killed! I worry about you being in the middle of it all and having this pressure on you of being The Chosen One. I play Quidditch not as a carefree past time, but as a distraction from all the shite going on with the war. I know there are things more important than Quidditch, trust me I do, but I thought that you could use the distraction as well. I don't know what's happened to you, Harry. You spend half a summer with Snape and Malfoy, and suddenly it seems like you've forgotten who your real friends are. You fight with Ron and push him away, you make Hermione take your side and push Ron away from her as well, you hardly even talk to me or look at me, your grades are slipping because you're always with Malfoy in the hospital wing, and you're constantly hidden away with Snape doing Merlin knows what! I don't know who you are, but you're certainly not the Harry I used to love." Her anger had turned to tears as she finished her speech, turning away from Harry and running from the small crowd that had began to gather.

Amongst this crowd was, of course, Snape. Harry groaned as the Potions Master waded his way through the crowd and stood in front of him, looking down his prominent nose at him. "I think, perhaps, that you need a break from things right now. Go work on your assignments in our quarters so as not to attract anymore drama," Severus all but demanded, making the students standing nearby snicker and disperse.

"I need to get a book from the library, I'll just work there," Harry said, waving Snape off and ignoring his demands to come back. He made his way quickly to the library and found an empty table in the far back corner. Throwing his bag heavily onto the table, Harry pulled out the chair and slumped into it, not bothering to get his work out at all. He leaned his head on his arms over the table, resting his eyes for a bit to help gather his thoughts, and fell asleep.

An hour later, Harry woke abruptly as someone slammed a book down on the table in front of him, making him jump nearly out of his seat. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and felt his insides go cold as he realized it was Ron.

"What the hell, Potter? What did you say to her to make her cry, eh? She said she was trying to talk to you about playing reserve next week at the match and you blew up at her and started ranting about ferret boy again. What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Harry?"

Harry's sluggish mind took a minute to realize Ron was talking about Ginny, and another to realize Ron had used his first name for the first time in weeks. He stood up and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder; he was too tired to deal with Ron's crap at the moment. "I didn't mean to make her cry, Ron, I was just upset with what she had said about Draco. I'm tired, I'm going home," he said wearily.

Ron's face turned an even deeper shade of red than it already was as he advanced on Harry and poked him hard in the chest. "Who the hell cares what she said about Malfoy? Good riddance he's still out cold, better chances for Gryffindor. You said you would play reserve, she's only trying to do her job as captain, and since when do you consider that greasy bat's rooms 'home'?" Ron snapped, his face much too close to Harry's for comfort.

Harry shoved Ron hard in the chest, shaking in anger as he let his bag fall to the ground. "Fuck you, Weasley! _I_ care what she says about Draco! I never said I would play reserve; you're both taking the mickey. Snape's rooms _are_ my home, because I can't possibly consider Gryffindor my home anymore; not with you there acting like a complete git about everything! Just leave me the fuck alone already, both of you! It's not my fault Ginny's a cry baby." Harry's voice had risen without him being aware, making Madam Pince walked briskly over, full ready to lecture about being quiet in the library. Before Harry could cut Pince off, he was being sent flying back into the bookshelf behind him by an almighty punch in the jaw from Ron.

"That's it, Potter. You stay the _fuck_ away from my family from now on, my parents included. You're not welcome with us anymore. I don't want you near them or speaking to them again, you hear me? _NEVER AGAIN!_" Ron shouted, shaking with rage. He had tears of fury in his eyes as he glared with full burning hatred at his once best friend, making Harry's heart ache even more than his smarting jaw.

Clutching his bruised and possibly broken jaw, Harry grabbed up his bag and made his way quickly out of the library, ignoring Madam Pince's angry ranting about her precious library. Taking the steps nearly two at a time the whole way down, Harry eventually made it to the entrance to the dungeon quarters he shared with Snape. Using a non-verbal spell to enter, Harry threw his bag angrily onto the couch, gaining a classic death glare from Snape, who was reading a book beside the hearth.

"What on earth is your problem now? Why are you holding your cheek?" Severus asked as he spotted bruising under Harry's hand already. He stood up from his armchair and crossed the room, standing in front of Harry and pulling his hand away to reveal the massive bruising on his jaw; clearly, the boy had been knocked a good one. Whether or not he deserved it was what Snape was concerned about. "Who did this, what happened?"

Harry tried to pull away from Snape, but was held steady by Snape's hands grasping his shoulder and the other side of his jaw, making him wince in pain. He didn't know if he could even open his jaw to speak. "Ron punched me," was all he managed to get out before fire exploded in his jaw and made him feel faint.

Severus frowned as he examined the deep bruising and rapid swelling. "It looks like he may have broken it. You'll need to see Pomfrey for this, it's beyond my abilities. Let me escort you – "

Harry shook his head and pulled away from Snape, indicating that he wished to go alone and headed towards the door. He was stopped by Snape grabbing his wrist and pulling him around.

"You said you wanted me to be here for you, so damn it, I'm going to _be here_. Now stop being such a bloody Gryffindor and come; your jaw will only hurt worse the longer it stays untreated," Severus snapped as he let go of Harry's wrist and led the way out.

Once in the hospital wing, Harry was sitting on a bed beside Draco's enclosed one, wincing as Madam Pomfrey rubbed bruise salve on his jaw and cheek after giving him a dose of skele-grow to help fix his fractured jaw. Severus was peering through the curtains in at Draco, just to check on him, when Madam Pomfrey announced that she was done, but Harry would need to stay the night at least.

"He's not to talk until the healing's complete."

"Thank you, Poppy," Severus said as he looked over her shoulder towards Harry, who was already getting comfortable in his hospital bed so that he could sleep. He walked over to Harry's bedside, waiting until Pomfrey was in her office to speak. "Would you like me to give you some Dreamless Sleep? You look like you could use some rest."

Harry just shook his head, not wanting to move his still sore jaw anymore than he absolutely needed to. He just wanted to sleep naturally, and he was exhausted enough to do it on his own, but first, he wanted to see Draco.

Severus sighed in frustration as he nodded. The boy was being much too stubborn, and he had a feeling it had something to do with the comatose Slytherin in the bed beside them. "Very well, then. I'll come and check on you tomorrow. Goodnight, Harry."

Harry waved lazily, making a show of crawling underneath his covers and resting his head on his pillows, making sure not to put pressure on the left side of his face. He waited until Snape's footsteps faded, and then some, before crawling slowly out of bed.

Harry moved the chair closer to the hospital bed than normal that night. He'd not had a pleasant day at all; he'd lost Ginny, another close friend, in less than twelve hours. He hadn't meant to blow up at Ginny the way he did. Her comments had struck a nerve in him that he hadn't known was so raw and exposed. As much as he may have overreacted, he still believed firmly in what he'd said to her. With a deep sigh, Harry leaned his elbows on his knees as he studied Draco's pale, unmoving features. Even with his jaw smarting, he felt like he'd explode if he stayed silent another second.

"I had a row with Ginny today. She was trying to get me to rejoin the Gryffindor team as Seeker again and I lost my head. I upset her pretty bad, made her cry apparently. Ron was livid. He cornered me after dinner and gave me what for, warning me away from his entire family. The only pseudo-family I've ever had, and I'm banned from speaking to them. Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would have. Maybe I've grown numb to losing those I love. I must be immune to heartache, yeah?"

Severus stood with his back leaning against the door frame of the infirmary, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched Harry from afar as he bared his soul to the comatose Slytherin. He'd known from Harry's expression at dinner that something was definitely wrong. Severus had grown accustomed to watching the Gryffindor during meals, in classes, and from the door of the infirmary, much to his chagrin. The growing one-sided relationship between Harry and Draco was surprising, if not a little sad. The fact that Harry spoke most openly to someone who couldn't respond spoke volumes about the Gryffindor's frame of mind. Subconsciously, Severus vowed to redouble his efforts to awaken his godson.

S~S~S~S

Harry awoke to the sound of excited twittering as something small and fluffy bounced off his pyjama-clad chest repeatedly. He grunted tiredly as he opened his eyes and snatched the fluffy menace off his chest.

"Calm down, Pig. What've you got?" he slurred tiredly as he extracted the rolled parchment from the miniscule owl's leg. Pigwidgeon took off in a victory fly over Harry's head, tweeting triumphantly at his successful delivery. Harry rolled his eyes at the bird as he unrolled his letter.

'_Dear Harry,_

_How are you feeling, dear? Arthur and I received a letter early this morning detailing how Ron assaulted you and got a month of detention from Professor Snape for it. He's received quite the Howler, I assure you. _

_Professor Snape also mentioned that the two of you have been at odds this year. Now, knowing my son as I do, Ron is probably being irrational about one thing or another, and is taking it out on you. He'll get over it in time, I'm sure he will._

_I want you to know you'll always have a home here at the Burrow, Harry. Since the day I helped guide you through the barrier at platform nine and three quarters, I've held you very near to my heart, and that has not changed a wink, nor will it ever. Don't let Ron, or Ginny, let you think any differently. We love you Harry, and we'd do anything for you – including grounding Ron for the entire summer__ hols__ for his little mishap with fracturing your jaw, the sod!_

_Feel better soon, dear, and don't hesitate to send us an owl if you need anything at all. Take care!_

_With love and hugs,_

_Molly Weasley'_

Harry grinned as he felt his chest tighten. He'd always been so fond of the Weasley family for taking him in and treating him as one of their own, but he always felt especially warm around Mrs. Weasley. It reminded Harry what he was missing, not having a mum of his own, and as much as it saddened him, he was grateful for the lucky substitution that was Molly Weasley.

Harry was just stowing the parchment away when Snape came around the curtain hiding his hospital bed from prying eyes. The man looked as exhausted as Harry felt.

"Any worrisome dreams, Mr. Potter?" were the first words out of Snape's mouth. His voice was droll and tired-sounding, making Harry slightly worried.

"Er…no, sir. In fact, I can't remember dreaming at all last night," Harry answered, feeling curious now that he realized it. He'd dreamed almost every night about one thing or another, but he honestly couldn't remember a thing of any dreams the night before, if there had been a dream to remember.

Severus sighed and nodded slowly, his expression grim. He shocked Harry by sitting down at the foot of his hospital bed and running a long-fingered hand over his tired eyes. "Just as I had suspected," he muttered, offering no further explanation.

But Harry didn't need a detailed explanation to know that something had happened; something was wrong. "What happened, Severus?"

The use of his first name brought Severus up short as he looked up at his charge. He couldn't lie to the boy, he deserved the truth. "My cottage in Bristol was ransacked and then destroyed last night," he paused as Harry gasped. "An alarm was tripped as soon as the intruders stepped foot on the property, but they somehow tweaked my magic to keep others from entering the perimeter of my _own_ wards, including myself. They essentially locked me out using my own defences. Anyways, once I finally got through the wards, everything was gone, and the cottage was nearly burnt to the ground. The Dark Mark was hovering over the wreckage."

"But I thought they only put up the Dark Mark if they'd murdered someone…?" Harry said, feeling his stomach churn as a million horrible possibilities cropped up in his over-active imagination.

"You'd be correct in thinking so, Harry, and they did indeed murder. When I put out the fire and began investigating, I found the body of Marcus Nott among the wreckage."

Harry gaped, his newly formed jaw hanging open. Nott was dead? _Death Eaters_ had killed him? "I-I don't understand, Professor…Why would they…?"

"Why would they kill one of their own? I have many guesses, but no solid facts. Nott could have betrayed the Dark Lord somehow, or perhaps displeased him greatly in some manner. I even entertained the idea of him dying in the fire, but a spell revealed he'd been put under the Cruciatus curse for nearly twelve hours before being hit with the killing curse. The Dark Lord's magical signature was all over it," Severus said with a shrug that Harry couldn't decide was tired or confused as well.

"But I didn't see anything! Surely if Voldemort was that peeved with Nott, I would have seen something, _felt_ something! I always know when he's mad…" Harry trailed off, finally figuring out just what happened when Snape gave him a crooked grin that he dared to call proud.

"Not if you were successfully Occluding, Harry. Do not take it that I am blaming you for not forewarning anyone about the attack; I do not blame you. I'm glad you were completely unaware of the situation, because that means you finally have Occlumency down."

"But your cottage, sir…that was your home," Harry said slowly, feeling pity rise in his chest. He took a good long look at the man he had spent the last couple of months with, and for once, he saw Snape for what he truly was – a man capable of heartache and despair just like everyone else. Someone who had lost their home – lost everything, because of this stupid war. It pissed Harry off royally to see that man so taken down.

Severus shrugged as he stood up from the hospital bed as he heard Madam Pomfrey bustling around behind the curtain closing off Draco's bed. "Yes, but I have other properties to replace it. Besides, _Hogwarts_ is my home."

Harry felt his chest constrict and he tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. For once, he knew _exactly_ how Snape felt. He watched as the Potions Professor pulled back the curtain of Draco's little corner of the infirmary, and sat down beside the bed, looking all the role of a worried father. Oh, how his world seemed to have fractured in such a short amount of time.

"Professor Snape!" came a loud shout from the entrance into the infirmary.

Harry whipped around so fast that he cricked his neck. He rubbed at it gently as he watched a frantic Hermione run straight towards the Potions Master, a crumpled parchment held in her fist.

Severus turned and raised an eyebrow at the bushy haired girl, properly hiding his quickened heart rate by masking his features. Clearly the girl had made some sort of breakthrough. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"I've been up all night researching what you were telling me about a couple of days ago, the stuff about lingering traces of magical signatures after one performs Legilimency on a person. Well, I think I've found something that may help. It says in _Meandering Minds_ that someone who has witnessed a delicate memory in a person's mind may be able to gain access to said person's mind, even in the case of unconsciousness or unresponsiveness. It's actually one of the techniques used by Healer's to treat victims of Waking Dreams; it allows them to see what the victim see's in their dream, even as they're acting it out. It's a coping mechanism, to help them understand their own dreams and recover from the psychological distress of the Draught. You've no doubt used Legilimency on Draco before, right?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide and slightly crazed as she peered at the Potions Professor determinedly.

Severus was slightly taken aback by the onslaught of information, feeling foolish for not finding this himself. It had to do with treating the affects of a _potion_, how could he have missed that? "Many a time, but what are the determining factors of what qualifies as a 'delicate memory'?"

"A delicate memory may be one that causes a person emotional distress in the form of grief, sadness, anger, embarrassment – pretty much any strong emotion in great quantities. It has to be something truly traumatizing in one way or another," Hermione recited, making it sound like a straight quote from a book – which it probably was.

"Does this memory still have to be in the person's mind?" Severus asked, knowing the perfect memory. However, said memory had been removed from the boy's mind and still needed to be excised of its curse.

Hermione frowned as she thought back to the dusty tome in the library. "I'm almost positive it still needs to be in the person's mind. The way you enter depends on latching to the memory as a sort of anchor. If you can get into his mind, you might be able to either reverse the damage, or pull him out of the coma through his subconscious, though the last isn't recommended unless the person entering isn't a very skilled Legilimens."

"No, I should think not. Well, I've seen plenty of things in Draco's mind, but I'm not sure anything could be considered 'traumatizing', exactly. His father's presence may be traumatizing to some, but he was immune to it. Maybe– "

"I know one that could work, sir," Harry said in barely a whisper as he sat up in bed. He knew Draco would _kill_ him if he knew what Harry was about to reveal, but this could save his _life_. But, maybe he didn't have to tell; after all, wouldn't Harry have to go in himself since he was the one who saw the memory?

Severus turned to look at Harry, who seemed to be curling in on himself. "Oh? And what memory is this, Mr. Potter?"

_Mr. Potter_...Snape only really called him that when he was angry, annoyed, or stressed. Harry was pretty sure this time fell under all three of those. "When Draco was teaching me Occlumency, we experimented with reversing the channels, to see if I could Legilimize him wandlessly. Well, it worked, but he didn't think it was going to and...he let me see a memory that he was trying to hide from everyone. It was...pretty bad, sir. I think it definitely qualifies as traumatizing..." Harry felt his stomach roil as he tried not to call forth the memory in case Snape tried to read him.

Suppressing a shudder of his own, Severus fixed Harry with a curious look. "Has this anything to do with where Draco was after he escaped Bellatrix Lestrange's clutches?" he asked, almost positive that's what it was. Of course, he knew Harry was keeping _something_ from him.

Harry flushed as he looked away from the Potions Master and nodded. He wouldn't tell, he'd promised, he wouldn't break Draco's trust. "I can't tell you though, Professor. I promised him, I even swore on my mother's grave. It's something he needs to tell you himself, I'm sorry."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling ten times more exhausted than he had when he first stepped foot in the infirmary that morning. He knew Harry was only trying to protect Draco, but his increased worry made him want to shake the truth out of the damnable Gryffindor. He'd get it out of one of them eventually; he just had to continue to be patient. "Alright, Potter, you don't have to tell me – right now, at least. Ms. Granger, I'm going to need to see this book you found and all of your notes before we go trying anything. Poppy, is Harry free to leave?"

Madam Pomfrey had been standing there the whole time, watching to conversation as if it were a tennis match. She shook her head a fraction and blinked. "Oh, yes, he's free to go. His jaw is all healed up!"

"Jaw? What happened, Harry? I've been so distracted by this, I completely forgot you were a patient yourself," Hermione asked as she stuffed the parchment in her hand into her pocket. The poor girl looked dead on her feet, but also very determined.

"Er...Ron kind of...punched me, after I made Ginny cry. I guess I kind of deserved it," Harry muttered, rubbing at his freshly healed jaw and swearing there was still a bruise there.

Hermione looked extremely saddened as she shook her head slowly. "He's changed so much; I don't even know who he is anymore. I'm sorry, Harry; he had no right to hit you," she whispered, sounding close to tears as she rubbed at her tired eyes.

Before Harry could protest her apology, Snape stepped forward and pulled a potion out of his pocket, handing it to Hermione. "You are not the one who should be apologizing for that foolish boy's actions, Ms. Granger. The minute you disassociated yourself from the imbecile, you stopped being responsible for his reprehensible actions. Take this, it will help you sleep," Severus paused as the girl meant to protest, but he held up a hand to cut her off. "No – no more research until you've gotten some rest. Harry and I will look at this book while you're resting. We won't act on anything without you, however, so rest assured."

Hermione took the little vile of purple potion and slipped it into her pocket with a sheepish look on her face. She seemed to be in shock due to Snape's actions and words. "Thank you, Professor. I hope this is it..."

"Me too, Hermione, me too," Severus muttered as he turned to look at his still-comatose godson. There were so many thoughts swirling around his head – he needed to talk to Abigail and Dumbledore about this new discovery, he needed to talk to the Aurors about how his wards were compromised and make sure the wards around his other properties could not be broken through as well, he needed to finish brewing the potions for the infirmary, and meet with Remus, who he hadn't even looked at twice in the last week or so, about taking over his classes during his recovery times. All this and he hadn't even slept himself. However, he was used to going days without sleep; it was just a necessity sometimes. And avoiding Lupin, well...that was a necessity, too.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know; crappy ending there. I promise it will get more interesting, starting with chapter 19! I'm working on chapter 21 right now. Hopefully I'll be able to write more; I've had a block for awhile now. Reviews inspire me to write, so review!


	19. Dazed and Confused

**A/N: **Hey all! Well, here's another chapter, unbeta'd again, so sorry for any mistakes! This is an important chapter, one a lot of you have been waiting for! I kind of went on a crazy writing spree the last couple of days and am now working on chapter 23! Plenty of story to go, so stick around!

**WARNING:** Allusions to non-consensual, homosexual sex. Rape, in other words. None graphic, but still enough to make some cringe. Sorry about that!

* * *

**Ch 19.  
Dazed and Confused**

_Meandering Minds_ was a very large, very old book found in the restricted section of Hogwarts' library. With a Point-Me spell, the tome was found quite easily amongst all of the other questionable and possibly dangerous books. The pages had been recently cleared of dust; evidence of Hermione's research. It was one of the milder restricted books, but in the wrong hands, it was a very useful weapon.

Severus lugged the heavy book over to a table, where Harry sat with a quite hefty stack of parchment; Hermione's notes. He was reading through them with a bemused expression on his face, amazed once again by his best friend's intelligence.

"Find anything useful?"

Harry sighed as he looked up from the stack of parchments and shook his head. "I...I don't know, it's all so...complicated. I don't think I'm going to be very much help, sir; this is all beyond me."

Severus took the seat across from Harry and cracked open the ancient book. A little puff of dust rose, even though it had been opened recently. "It is not beyond you, Harry; you just have to think a little deeper. It is important for you to understand, especially as you'll be the one entering Draco's mind if we try this. I can help you through it; just give me some time to figure it out myself. In the meantime, try to continue making sense of Ms. Granger's notes. I'm sure those will make more sense to you than this archaic book will."

"I'm not so sure myself..." Harry muttered as he continued to read through Hermione's extremely detailed and complicated notes. He was starting to get really frustrated, not understanding in the least what any of this meant. Just as he was about to blow up and start ranting about his failings in magical theory, Remus walked up to their table. Snape's quill paused abruptly in its scribbling.

"I ran into Hermione on the way to breakfast; she said she may have had a breakthrough with Draco's condition?" Remus said as he took the seat beside Severus, noticing how the man stiffened.

"She may have, yes. Harry and I are looking through it now. Perhaps you could help Harry try to understand this; he's about ready to throw a massive temper tantrum."

"I am not!" Harry lied, glaring at the Potions Master as he shuffled through Hermione's notes at random. He looked up to see Remus' sympathetic gaze and groaned. "Alright, I need help. Please?"

Remus moved to sit in the seat beside Harry instead, pulling the large stack of notes towards him so he could read through them. After about fifteen minutes of reading through the first couple of pages, he was starting to understand what this was all about, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Severus, this is extremely dangerous! What if it doesn't work, what if you become trapped in his mind as well?" he said, trying to keep the hysteria out of his voice, if only for Harry's sake.

Severus looked up at the werewolf, sharing a glance with Harry, who looked slightly bewildered. "Not me, Lupin. Harry has to do this."

"He certainly does _not_ have to do this! Are you out of your mind? Harry is not nearly skilled enough to pull something like this off! He'll lose his mind!" Remus hissed in a sharp whisper, not wanting to garner Madam Pince's attention by shouting like he so wanted to.

Harry bristled slightly at Remus' comment, but he was cut off by Snape, who sent him a warning glare.

"Harry's Legilimency skills are quite good, actually. He's a natural at it, he has no boundaries. I would not have him do this if there were any other options, Remus. The only memory I have seen that qualifies for this spell has been removed and is currently being stored in a memory vial. Harry is the only other person who fits the requirements. Do you think that I haven't considered the risks, that I _want_ to put him in that kind of danger?" Severus snapped, his sneer more potent than it had been in a long time.

"Frankly, I don't think you give a flying _fuck_ whether Harry comes out of this intact; as long as you have Draco back."

Severus' chair scrapped back loudly as he rose quickly to his feet, glaring daggers at the werewolf. "How _dare_ you?!"

Remus stood up too, sending some of Hermione's notes cascading to the floor. He looked like he was ready to pull his wand, cueing Harry's intervention.

"Stop it! Both of you, just stop! Look Remus, I've agreed to do this, it was my own decision; Severus isn't forcing me to do anything. I know you're both concerned about Draco and me, but please don't take it out on each other. This is hard enough as it is," Harry pleaded. He looked between the two men and could feel the contempt rolling off of both of them; something that had been absent for a long time now, and Harry was not glad to see it back.

Remus looked away first, using his wand to restore Hermione's notes to the clean stack on the table. He stowed his wand away, avoiding eye contact with both Harry and Snape. "I need some air, excuse me." He walked away quickly, feeling like he would suffocate from the pressure of Severus' glare.

Severus slowly sat back down, moving the chair closer to the table, intending to continue on reading as if he'd not been interrupted in the first place.

Harry sat back down too, frowning at the stack of notes he still didn't understand, and was frankly afraid to understand now. "I think you should apologize to him," he said abruptly, bringing Snape's glare back onto him.

"I have _nothing_ to apologize for, Potter. _He_ lost his head, not me," Severus snapped indignantly. Remus was in the wrong here, _not_ him. He no more wanted to put Harry at risk than the werewolf did, and to claim he was willing to sacrifice Harry for Draco...that was just _way_ out of line.

"No, not when it comes to this current fight, but...avoiding him for nearly two months – _that_ you should probably apologize for," Harry said quietly, keeping his eyes trained carefully on Hermione's notes. He'd noticed the not-quite-strictly-platonic relationship early on, and he'd also noticed how the Potions Professor had started to push Remus away.

Severus' jaw dropped, feeling the blood rush simultaneously from his face and to his cheeks in a rare blush. He quickly schooled his features, though he knew it was too late. "I...You've no idea what you're talking about, Potter," he spat, trying to keep his slight panic at being found out from his tone. He was only partially successful.

Harry looked up at Snape, frowning sympathetically. "I'm not blind or stupid, Professor...and neither is Remus."

Severus looked away from the intuitive Gryffindor, cursing the day he allowed this boy's opinion to affect him in any way. He clenched and unclenched his fist around his quill, trying to decide whether or not to confirm Harry's suspicions, or ignore it altogether. With a heavy sigh, he scooted his chair back and stood up, frowning at Harry, who smirked knowingly.

"Shut up, Potter. Stay here and continue going through Ms. Granger's notes. I have a pissed off werewolf to attend to." He groaned and squeezed his eyes closed as Harry let out a chuckle and nodded.

"Good luck, Severus."

"Insolent little brat..."

S~S~S~S

The air outside was cold and dry, though the clouds looked like they were threatening snow. Early November was always Remus' favourite time of year; it was cold and dreary, kind of like how he felt most of the time. There was a time when he was always warm, wrapped safely in Sirius' arms. Even the cold of early November couldn't penetrate that safe-haven. But that was all gone now, and Remus felt he would never truly be warm again.

He heard the door of the Astronomy tower open and close, and the muffled footsteps that grew closer and closer. He continued to look out over the deserted grounds of Hogwarts, feeling the biting coldness nip at his exposed flesh like salt in a wound.

"You'll catch your death out here," Severus said quietly, coming to stand beside the werewolf looking out over the ramparts of the castle. It was a long way down from there.

"What do you care if I die?" Remus muttered, knowing how awfully dramatic that sounded, but not really caring.

Severus snorted as he shook his head slowly. "What is it with you Gryffindors and your melodrama? Why can't you just be straightforward without all the bells and whistles for once?"

Remus turned to look at Severus, a hard gleam in his usually warm amber eyes. "You want straightforward, Severus? Fine, I can be _perfectly_ straightforward. You've been avoiding me, making up stupid excuses for your reluctance to spend any time with me. I know you're a busy man, Severus, but I'm not as _blind_ as you think I am! If you've had enough, tell me. If you don't want this anymore, than please just let me go, because I can't handle being strung along like some foolish, love-sick teenager anymore! Just let me go..." Remus trailed off as his voice broke, turning away from the Potions Master. It had been building up for awhile now, and he just couldn't hold it back any longer. He was so _stupid_ to let himself fall into this.

Severus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, which didn't help him feel any less like he was drowning in mixed emotions. It was true, he had been avoiding Remus; hell, even Harry had seen it. It was stupid really, the reasons he had for why. He didn't know how to explain, nor did he really want to. However, he wasn't quite ready to let the man go like he so desperately begged to be.

"I'm sorry, Remus. You're right, I have been avoiding you, and it's stupid. You'll think me a fool for my reasons, and I don't blame you, but please hear me out," Severus said quietly, wanting to reach out to the man, but resisting the urge in case it made matters worse. He'd be surprised if he didn't leave without Remus getting a good punch in first.

Remus furrowed his brow, not expecting Severus to try to explain himself. He was fully prepared to be dumped right then and there, but he never expected this. "Go on, then," he said, turning back towards Severus slowly. He felt his chest constrict at the contrite expression on the man's face.

Severus took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for this. He stepped off the precipice, hoping Remus would catch him at the end. "I've never been in love. I thought I had been, a few times, but it was always ever lust or mistaken feelings. When you came on to me this summer, I figured it was another case of lust, on both our parts. You were lonely and grieving, and I was lonely and desperate, as bad as that sounds. But you got too close, you saw too much of me, and I panicked. I was starting to fall, and I panicked."

Severus looked away from the werewolf, who was wearing an unidentifiable expression, but could be described at shocked speechless if you looked carefully enough. The clouds overhead were getting darker and more menacing, promising a drizzle, if not snow.

"I warned you that we couldn't do this when it first began; I still have two teenage boys who are depending on me, and I need to focus on them. I...enjoy your company, Remus, I do, and I don't want to hurt you..." Severus paused, unsure if he should go on, or simply cling to the werewolf and never let go.

"But?" Remus supplied, knowing that dreaded word was hanging there, even if Severus had not had the heart to say it. He knew this was going to happen, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Did he _love_ Severus, is that why it felt like he was suffocating? Oh well, too late to explore that now...

Before Severus could reply the door to the Astronomy Tower burst open, making both men jump quite violently. They turned simultaneously to glare at the intruder, but froze when they saw the look of horror on Harry's face.

"It's Professor Dumbledore! I think he's dying," Harry choked out, his chest heaving after running all the way up to the Tower. He had no idea how he knew Snape and Remus would be up here. He came up here to think when he needed to be alone, so he followed his instincts, and sure enough, here they were. It was obvious he was interrupting an important conversation, but this was beyond talks of relationships.

Severus and Remus exchanged a glance before following Harry off of the Astronomy Tower, hot on his heels as they questioned him.

"What's happening, where is Professor Dumbledore?"

"Why do you think he's dying, Harry?"

"He's in his office. Fawkes showed up in the library, crying and flying around hysterically. When I went to comfort him, he somehow Apparated me to Dumbledore's office, I dunno how. I found him slumped over in his chair, and he kept asking for you, Severus. He seemed confused and really weak. I ran as fast as I could; I don't know what happened," Harry explained as they finally stepped off the dizzying spiral staircase leading to the Astronomy Tower.

Severus quickened his pace, surpassing Harry, who was losing steam after running for so long. Remus was right on Severus' heels, grasping Harry's arm reassuringly as he hurried the Gryffindor on towards the Headmaster's office.

Once there, the stone gargoyle guards simply leapt aside for the entourage, a sign that worried Severus further. The only time to gargoyles did away with the password was in the case of an emergency such as this one. The two men and one teen ran up the ever-spiralling stairs to the Headmaster's office, Severus bursting through the door first.

Albus Dumbledore was slumped sideways in his high-backed, winged armchair behind his ornate oak desk. His long, white hair and beard were frazzled and his elderly face looked pained and distressed. Sharp blue eyes opened slowly, spotting Severus immediately.

"Severus...please..." he croaked, making the Potions Master's throat clenched as he hurried forward and kneeled in front of his mentor and friend.

"Albus, what happened, what's wrong?" he asked, quickly pulling his wand out so he could run a diagnostic spell on the old wizard.

Dumbledore struggled to sit up, and was able to once Remus and Harry came to his aid, helping him balance. "My hand, dear boy...a curse, horrible curse..."

Severus immediately grabbed for both of the Headmaster's hands, immediately seeing the problem when he gripped the man's right wrist. "Sweet Merlin, your hand is dead, Albus, and it's spreading. What curse, what did you touch?"

"Ring..."

Severus spotted the old and hastily made golden ring on Dumbledore's ring finger. Using his wand to avoid being cursed himself, Severus spelled the ring off and hovered it to sit on the oak desk. He cast his mind around for different types of dark curses that would cause this reaction, but only one counter-curse came to mind that would likely stop the curse, no matter what it was. He lifted his wand, aiming is directly at the dead and blackened hand.

"_Terminus is poena, subsisto emanio, rememdium peius, videlicet detrimentum..._" Severus muttered the Latin phrase over and over, moving his wand up and down Dumbledore's arm, and around the blackened hand. Once a faint blue glow started to wrap around the affected appendage, Severus stopped reciting the spell. "_Somnus penetranter._"

Remus was able to catch the Headmaster just in time as he slumped forward, affected by Severus' sleeping spell. Moving slowly and carefully, Remus and Severus lifted the Headmaster and carried him to his quarters off to the side of his office.

Harry was standing in the centre of the office, Fawkes sitting heavily on his shoulder. The phoenix was making low, cooing noises as he preened his beautiful plumage. The teen looked quite pale, and a green tinge started to seep into his face.

"Harry?" Remus asked quickly as he moved towards the Gryffindor. He placed a hand on his shoulder, noticing for the first time that he was trembling. "Are you alright?"

Harry only had time to shake his head before he doubled over, sending Fawkes flying off to his perch beside the Headmaster's desk. Snape quickly conjured a bucket and pushed it forward to catch Harry's case of weak stomach, while Remus rubbed circles on his back comfortingly.

"He's going to be ok, Harry, there's no need to panic," said Remus, looking up at Snape as if asking for help.

Severus, however, was too busy studying the golden ring that caused the panic. He used his wand to make it levitate before him as he walked around it in a wide circle, examining the badly made jewellery. "Goblin made, I'd say around the twelfth or thirteenth century. The stone is not a precious one, and it's been cracked right down the centre. That's a curious design etched on there...It reminds me of something, no idea what," Severus continued to make observations about the ring, trying to gain as much knowledge from the thing as possible.

Remus moved forward and took a good look at the ring as well, shooting worried glances over at Harry, who was keeping a good distance away from the cursed object still. "Where did it come from, and why on earth did Albus foolishly put on a cursed ring? Surely the man was intelligent enough to check for curses?"

"Perhaps not, if there was a _Confundus_ charm set near it. The charm would either make the victim forget to check, or else give them the impression that they already had and it came back clear for curses. It's quite common in families hoping to hide and protect ancient family heirlooms. That may indeed be what this is, but I've never seen that crest before. Merlin only knows where Dumbledore got it from; the man's been disappearing quite often with no word to anyone where he's going. We'll have to ask him when he awakens. For now, I think this ought to be locked up."

Severus directed the ring to the second drawer in Dumbledore's desk, carefully closing and setting many complicated locking and warding spells that only he could undo. "Foolish old man..." he muttered as he turned back to Remus and Harry.

Harry was avoiding the gazes of both adults, still feeling quite queasy. He just wanted to get back to the library and figure things out for Draco. He desperately needed someone to talk to. Hermione was great and all, but there were just some things that Harry couldn't tell the brilliant witch; she was much too analytical to just sit and listen, and that's what Harry needed.

"Can we please go back to the library? I want to learn this, I need to learn this..." he asked quietly, still not looking up at either Professor.

Severus frowned as he moved forward and lifted Harry's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "We will help you with this, Harry, I promise, but it will take time to figure out. I'm just as anxious to get it done as well, but rushing will only increase the chances of failure. Be patient and diligent; it will pay off in the end."

Harry gulped as he nodded, his chin still resting lightly on Snape's hand. His eyes stung with unshed tears, but he would not allow himself to break down now. He'd cried enough, now was the time to pull it together and focus. Perhaps when Draco was back to consciousness, Harry would put more effort into fulfilling the destiny the Prophecy set out for him, though he didn't know exactly what that was at the moment with the memory removed. Perhaps then Harry could take some of the burden off of Dumbledore, who had come much too close to death for Harry's comfort tonight.

"Come, we've got research to do," said Severus as he led the way out of the Headmaster's office. He looked back at Remus, who was frowning deeply. Severus knew if he walked away from the conversation he'd been having with Remus before this latest drama developed, he might never be able to salvage the relationship. But when he looked at Harry, and thought about his pale, unconscious godson, his mind set them as priorities above all others. He turned back and walked on, feeling the bridge burn as he did so.

S~S~S~S

It took another three torturous, exhausting, frustrating weeks to research and learn the method of Legilimency Harry needed to help awaken Draco. What with the Oath to keep Draco's sensitive memory to himself, Harry had to do much of it on his own so that no one else saw or found out about the horrible memory.

Harry was beyond nervous. His palms were sweating, his heart thudded painfully in his chest, and his hair was standing on end from running his hands through it so many times. Remus' hand on his shoulder was making him more anxious than not, but when he pulled away and saw the flash of hurt in the werewolf's eyes, he felt instantly guilty. He groaned audibly as he scrubbed at his face.

"Relax, Harry. You know entering Draco's mind in a state like this can make him retreat further into the recesses of his mind. Occlude, put the worry and fear behind you. Imagine that forest clearing and let it take you over. Once you enter his mind, you must cling onto the sensitive memory immediately, or you could be lost in his mind as well. He will likely panic at first due to the distress of the memory, whatever it may be, but you must persuade him to leave his self-imposed prison. You can do this, Harry. I have every faith in your ability to succeed," Severus said in a quiet, soothing voice.

He could feel the tension rolling off the boy, and it was starting to affect him as well. They'd gone over this plan so many times, he was sure Harry knew it quite well, but it didn't hurt to repeat it once more before they began.

Harry had his eyes closed for a good fifteen minutes before his breathing evened and his body relaxed. If it wasn't for his standing position, it would have looked like Harry had fallen asleep himself. He slowly opened his eyes, keeping the forest scene in the back of his mind as he moved towards Draco's bed and the chair beside it.

"Healer Smithson, I'm ready," said Harry as he took the seat and sat forward, keeping his mind as clear as possible. This was it, he had to do this right, or else he could kill both Draco and himself in the attempt.

Abigail handed a potion to Harry, while Poppy tipped the same potion into Draco's mouth, helping him swallow with a spell. It was a mild muscle relaxer, to make sure neither boy was injured in case a physical struggle ensued. Using her wand, Abigail carefully strapped Draco down to the hospital bed, and prepared the needed potions for when – _if _– Draco was awoken.

"Dim the lights," Harry instructed as he moved forward and turned Draco's unresisting face towards him. He place a hand on either temple, closing his eyes as he made sure his mind was completely clear. Once he saw the lights dim through his closed eyelids, Harry pulled together his magical strength, preparing for wandless magic.

"_Legilimens Sensilis!_"

The sensation of falling into one's mind was like a mix between travelling by Apparation and Portkey; not pleasant in the slightest. Harry landed in a dark, dank area of Draco's mind, casting for the memory of Draco's abuse immediately. A few memories began to flash before him, making him feel ill. So the one he'd witnessed was not the only one. He quickly indentified the one he had seen – he would never, _ever_ forget it – and latched on, pulling himself into the memory. Though he didn't want to see what happened at all, he could not allow for hesitancy, lest the attempt fail due to lack of will.

Harry's stomach churned as he heard Draco cry out, his eyes closed tight against the visual scene at least.

"_Please...please, I'll give you anything you want....just stop, it hurts!"_

_A harsh laugh filled the air, accompanied by heavy breathing and whimpers of pain. "Oh, but you _are_ what I want. You're so tight and perfect; what more could I ask for?"_

_A sob was muffled by a hand being slapped over Draco's mouth. Any further pleading was cut off as the teen whimpered and cried, feeling like he was being burned alive from the inside out with each thrust._

"Harry, what the fuck are you _doing_ here?" a familiar voice shouted from very close behind Harry. He whipped around and felt his heart jump at the sight of Draco – whole, alive, and very much awake.

"Draco! Thank Merlin, I didn't know if this would work or not. You've been in a coma for nearly three months, Draco. The only way we've found so far to pull you out of it is just so; to literally pull you out of it, through your mind. There's not enough time to explain it all now, but I promise I will when you wake up, alright?" Harry said gently, hardly noticing when the horrible memory that he'd latched on to faded away.

Draco was shaking and looking around nervously, as if there were other people there, watching him. "I can't...I've tried, but I don't know how to get out. We're probably both stuck now..." he rasped, his voice full of emotion. "Every night you came and talked to me, I'd try so hard to get out, but it never worked. I wanted to so bad..."

Harry felt the tears stinging in his eyes and let them fall free, taking a step towards the Slytherin. "You could hear me? The whole time, you heard everything?" he asked hopefully. He wasn't embarrassed by his visits to Draco, quite the contrary; Harry had hoped Draco could hear him.

"Everything," said Draco with a slow nod as he took a step towards Harry. With a shuddering breath he took the last few steps at a run and threw himself into Harry's arms, hugging the Gryffindor with nearly bruising force. "I'd have gone mad without you."

Harry allowed the hug to go on for at least a minute or two, hugging back just as fiercely. He knew they were running out of time, so he pulled away, however reluctantly. "I need you to clear your mind completely except for us. Do you trust me?"

Draco only hesitated for a millisecond before nodding vigorously. "Yes, I trust you."

"Then take my hand, and whatever you do, don't let go. There's no saying what could happen after this...it might even hurt a bit, and I'm sorry for that. It could hurt me too. Make sure your mind is completely clear before giving me a signal so I know to continue. Ready?"

Draco closed his eyes as he grasped Harry's hand tightly in his own, making sure his mind was clear of everything besides himself and Harry. He pushed his fear and anxiety back, completely putting his trust in Harry's hands. With a deep breath, he gave a sharp nod. Then the world went black.

S~S~S~S

"...Severus, please calm down, you will only distress the boy's themselves if they see you in this state."

"Why aren't they awake yet, Poppy? The book said three to four hours, not eight! Something's wrong, I need to go in and check."

"Absolutely not! It clearly says that using Legilimency during the recuperation stage could reverse everything that's been achieved!"

"How the hell do you know anything has been achieved if you won't let me check?"

"So help me Severus Snape, I will hex you where you stand if you do not _sit down_ and _shut up_ this instant!"

Silence.

"Thank you, Remus. Why he listens to you and not me, I'll never know...."

"I have my ways of persuasion..."

"Shut it, Lupin."

Harry let out a quiet groan as the faint light poked at his sensitive eyes. "Both of you shut it; I'm trying to sleep here..."

The mumbling was punctuated by at least five gasps as Harry felt people crowd around his...hospital bed, he assumed? What had he broken this time? He slowly opened his eyes and was immediately assaulted with Snape hovering mere inches above his face. He gasped and tried to crawl away.

"Look what you've done, you've frightened him," said an amused voice from the other side of the bed. Harry looked over. Ah, Remus.

"Remus John Lupin, I swear to Merlin I will hex off your – "

"Severus, watch your language!" Madam Pomfrey admonished as she used her wand to shine a bright and unwelcome light into each of Harry's eyes. He squinted against the pain as she moved away and performed a diagnostic spell over him. When she moved away from the bed, his eyes fell upon Draco, still pale as ever, and it all came rushing back. He sat up so quickly the world spun around him dizzyingly.

"Did it work; is Draco still in a coma?" He asked quickly even as he clutched at his spinning head.

Severus moved forward and pushed Harry gently back down into a laying position as he glanced over at the bed containing his godson. "We don't know yet, Harry. You were the first to wake, and even then it's been much longer than anticipated."

"Is he awake? Mum's going ballistic at Headquarters; someone needs to go give her a Calming Draught."

Harry looked over towards the familiar voice, smiling at the second eldest Weasley brother. "Hey Charlie. Yeah, I'm awake; tell Molly to stop fretting for my sake."

Charlie chuckled as he moved forward and ruffled Harry's already messy hair affectionately. "If only it were that easy to get Mum to stop worrying. Glad you're doing well, then."

"Wotcher, Harry. You gave us a bit of a fright," said Tonks from the foot of Harry's bed. She winked at him as he sent her a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Severus! He's responding," Abigail exclaimed as she waved her wand slowly over Draco, his vitals increasing very slightly.

Everyone in the infirmary immediately turned towards Draco's bed, where a shuttering of eyelids made the entire room hold their breath. Harry's heart was beating so fast he was surprised no one else could hear it.

"Mum...?"

Draco's scratchy voice sent the room into hysterics. Harry leaped out of bed and made it to Draco's bedside at the same time as Snape. Remus was close behind, and Abigail was running diagnostic after diagnostic over Draco. Poppy was trying to drag Harry back to his bed, but was rather unsuccessful.

"I'm supposed to inform Dumbledore if he wakes up. I'll be back," Tonks said as she ran quickly from the infirmary, Charlie close on her heels.

"Mum's going to freak. I'll head off the entourage waiting for Harry to awake."

"Draco, can you hear me?" Severus asked as he leaned forward over his godson. He wasn't aware of when he began to smooth Draco's white-blonde hair down, but he was aware of the hand squeezing his shoulder from behind; Remus.

Draco tried to speak again but his voice cracked from disuse. He accepted the glass of water that was pressed to his lips, allowing Severus to lift his head slightly so he could drink without spilling it. He drank down nearly the entire glass before he pushed it away, looking around at the people by his bedside with a rather bemused look on his face.

"Where's my mother and father, where am I? Can someone please tell me what is going on?" Draco asked, his voice sounding much too small and innocent.

Harry felt his heart drop, sensing the same panic from Snape beside him. "I...you – you don't remember?" he asked in a quiet, pain filled voice. He had just talked to Draco when he'd entered his mind, and that Draco had heard everything Harry had poured out to him during the past three months. What went wrong, where did he mess up?

Draco looked towards Snape, hoping this man would be able to tell him what was happening. "What's going on?"

Severus sighed deeply as he looked pleadingly over at Abigail, who shook her head with a frown. Life was just determined to deal him a shite hand when it came to his charges.

"Draco...You've been asleep for quite a while now, nearly three months, actually. There was an accident this summer. We only just found a way to awake you. What's the very last thing you can remember?" asked Severus, knowing Draco's amnesia could just be partial, or the boy could have no idea who he was.

Draco's brow scrunched in apparent concentration. He shook his head a few times, almost as if he was having trouble remembering much of anything. "I...I don't remember...My mum and dad, at the Chateau on the Continent. I can't...you keep calling me Draco. Is that my name?"

Severus felt his stomach drop, feeling suddenly ill. How was he supposed to fix this; how do you tell somebody who they are? "Yes, your name is Draco Malfoy, and you're sixteen years old."

Draco's eyebrow rose slowly, his expression clearly stating that he thought Severus had gone insane. He shook his head once more, than looked up at Severus as if in recognition. "I'm only eight, Sev."

Everyone stiffened and quieted once more, making the silence rise up like an ominous chorus of dread. Abigail moved forward towards Draco, her expression extremely sad. "Draco, this will be your sixth year at Hogwarts. You've lost quite a bit of your memory, it seems."

"You remember who I am though, Draco?" Severus asked, catching on to the boy using his name when nobody else seemed to have noticed.

"Yes, of course, but...I...." Draco paled considerably, even with his nearly iridescent skin to begin with. Obviously, something was not right. He turned wide, frightened eyes back to Severus. "What's happening, Sev?"

Severus took a deep breath and shook his head, feeling Harry shaking beside him. "I wish I knew, Draco..."

S~S~S~S

The door closed with a quiet snap, bringing Harry out of his reverie. He looked up at the Potions Master, his expression one of pleading and hope. However, Snape looked quite as lost as he had only a few hours before.

Taking a seat in his usual armchair by the fire, Severus let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his hands over his tired eyes. He was so exhausted, but he didn't have time to be. He had classes to teach, lessons to plan, teenage boys to fret over, and a tentative relationship with a hurt werewolf to figure out. He jumped when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"What did Professor Dumbledore say, sir?" Harry asked, hoping that he wasn't being too forward. Snape was obviously distressed and worn out; Harry just wanted to help him.

Severus looked up at the Gryffindor, his face blank but his eyes full of pain. "There's no need to call me sir when we're down here, Harry. Please sit down." He waited until Harry had retaken his seat on the sofa opposite his armchair before continuing.

"Dumbledore is under the impression that Draco has sudden onset amnesia. There's no telling whether it was the curses that hit him before, or the method used to wake him up. There were risks involved, we knew that. However, Albus is convinced there is a way to bring his memories back. The problem is finding the way to do so."

Harry nodded slowly, the knot of guilt and dread in his chest loosening only very slightly. "So...I could have done this to him, then?" he asked, hating how small his voice sounded.

Severus closed his eyes for a second, but nodded slowly. "Yes, it could have been the Legilimency, but there is no way to tell. Do not blame yourself for this, Harry. We knew there were risks involved, and we were willing to take those risks. Draco is alive and conscious, that is what's important. There is every chance that Draco will get his full memory back, all in due time. Do not beat yourself up over this," said Severus, his tone stern, even though he completely understood Harry's guilt; he felt it too.

Harry swallowed hard, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. He couldn't let this get to him. He had helped Draco, things would get better – at least that was what he kept trying to tell himself. "What are Albus' ideas for getting Draco's memory back?" he asked. He would try to do everything he could to help bring Draco's memories back.

"Dumbledore knows a special kind of Legilimency that is less invasive than normal Legilimency. It requires a willing participant, so someone will need to convince Draco that Dumbledore is trying to help him to get him to agree. If it works, Albus may be able to uncover the lost memories himself, or at the least find out why they're being suppressed. Another idea of his was to slowly incorporate memories from those who know him to try and trigger a release, but that may not be suitable, as not very many people would be willing to offer memories – "

"I will. I'll give every single memory I have of him, good and bad. I want to help," Harry interrupted Snape, earning himself a half-hearted glare.

"Yes, I figured you'd be one of the few willing to give the memories. I'm sure the staff and a few other students would be willing as well, but it would need to be a gradual thing. Bombarding him with memories of a past that he can't remember may do more harm than good. We will try Albus' original idea first, and then see about doing the memory incorporation if that fails."

Harry sat forward, his face drawn and tired. He had escaped Poppy's clutches only because Snape convinced her to release him from the hospital wing. He wasn't injured, just tired and emotionally drained. He couldn't stand being near Draco and not being able to talk to him. Besides, Snape knew that if Harry stayed with Draco in the infirmary, Harry might grow frustrated with Draco's memory loss and end up saying the wrong thing.

"He's going to be ok, right? We'll figure this out?" Harry asked tentatively, feeling extremely vulnerable. He didn't know when he had gone from seeing Draco as an acquaintance, to feeling like he'd be lost without the Slytherin. Something had changed, and it worried him slightly, but he would push those feelings away for now. Now was the time to focus on getting Draco's memories back.

"We will try everything we can, Harry. It will take some time, but things will work out eventually. I think it's time we both got some sleep. There are classes tomorrow," Severus said as he stood up from his armchair. He waved his wand and doused the fire in the hearth, plaguing the sitting room in darkness.

Harry moved towards the hall, heading to his own room. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face Snape.

"Thank you, Harry, for what you did for Draco. Without you he'd still be comatose, amnesia or not. I'm sure in time he'll come to appreciate your help just as much as I do."

Harry couldn't stop the few tears that leaked out, but he quickly wiped them away, nodding quickly at the Potions Professor. "Goodnight, Severus."

Severus gave Harry's shoulder one last squeeze before releasing him. He knew the boy still blamed himself, but there would be time to cure the Gryffindor of his guilt later. As for the boy's obviously growing affection for Draco, well...that would have to wait till morning as well. "Goodnight, Harry."

* * *

**A/N:** You guys didn't think I was just going to have him wake up and have everything be just fine, did you? Where would the fun be in that?! I know; I'm evil. Please review! The more reviews I get, the faster I write!


	20. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**A/N: **Hello my dear readers! I figured it was time for an update as I've finally finished writing chapter 23. It's getting more intense, folks! I hope this chapter displays the new intensity quite nicely for you all! Thanks for reading!

* * *

**Ch 20.  
Something Wicked This Way Comes**

There was a little more than a month left until Christmas break at Hogwarts. The list to stay at the castle was longer than ever before, what with parents afraid to let their children ride the train to King's Cross. It felt like the entire Wizarding word was on its toes, just waiting for Voldemort and his Death Eaters to make their next move.

The Ministry was under fire, a call for impeachment of the Minister gaining popularity among the public and Wizengamot alike. Even the_ Daily Prophet_ was supporting the order to remove Fudge from his post, which was shocking to anyone who had read the paper in the last three years; everyone knew the Editor-In-Chief of the _Prophet_ usually stayed quite comfortably ensconced in Fudge's pocket.

Replacements for Fudge had started cropping up, pre-campaigning already hitting the airways of the Wizarding Wireless and other Wizarding newspapers and magazines. Witch Weekly had even run an article on why Harry Potter should became the youngest Minister in history, even though he still wasn't old enough to use magic outside of school. People were obviously getting desperate.

In all actuality, the most prominent figure and likeliest winner for Minister didn't even want the position. Kingsley Shacklebolt was quite comfortable in his new position of Head Auror. With Arthur Weasley as his boss (but also his replacement), Kingsley felt free of the heavy responsibility that was Head of Magical Law Enforcement. He felt like a rookie Auror again, free to go off on raids and investigate new leads instead of being stuck in his office, filling out endless piles of paperwork.

The most exciting part of being Head Auror was running the Auror Academy. The new recruits were very motivated and skilled, yet still had plenty of training to go through before becoming full Aurors. Even after his two year training and subsequent fifteen years in the Auror Corps, Kingsley was still learning tricks of the trade. It was also entertaining watching Tonks teach stealth and disguise classes; she was at least very good at one of the two subjects.

When the proposition came up for him to take up the role of Minister in the instance of Fudge's impeachment, Kingsley immediately turned it down. He had no desire to run the Ministry, fixing all the things Fudge had managed to completely screw up over the years. People encouraged him to accept, having complete faith in his abilities to clean up the slowly crumbling Ministry. Now, things had changed. When the _Daily Prophet_ was calling for a change in power, things were pretty bad. Knowing he'd never be left alone if he kept resolutely refusing, Kingsley finally let out a press release that he was considering the position, should Fudge be impeached. The only reason he was bothering with any of it was because of the bad press that was starting to crop up concerning Harry.

With the rumours from the previous year about the Prophecy, calling Harry 'The Chosen One', people were calling for Harry to take a stand on who he thought the next Minister for Magic should be. So far, Harry had kept completely silent, not giving his opinion either against Fudge, or for Kingsley. Kingsley wasn't offended by this at all; he was glad Harry was keeping his head down and avoiding the political hurricane sweeping through.

However, because of Harry's silence, the press was having a field day, calling him a coward and denying that he was as important to the war as previously rumoured. Harry was quite content with letting people believe he was nothing special; it was the truth, after all.

Everything was being held off until after the hols, no one wanting to revamp the entire Ministry and ruin the festive holiday spirit taking over the Wizarding world. Even with a war creeping up on them, no one could take Christmas away.

S~S~S~S

It was the last class of the day on Friday. Everyone was packing their cauldrons and ingredients away when the door to the dungeon classroom boomed open. Many students jumped, a few squeaking in fright, as Headmaster Dumbledore strode into the room. Severus looked curiously up at him as he approached the Potions Master.

"Pardon the interruption, Professor Snape, but I require a word with one of your students." Without waiting for a reply, Dumbledore turned and fixed his piercing blue gaze on Harry, who gulped automatically. He didn't quite look angry, but not very pleased, either. "Harry, may I have a word with you in my office?"

Harry looked passed Dumbledore and locked gazes with Snape, who nodded once as if to say 'go ahead'. "Uh, sure," Harry said as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"After you, Harry," Dumbledore said, bowing Harry out in front of him. His tone brooked no argument.

Harry glanced back at Snape, who looked just as bemused by the Headmaster's actions as Harry felt, before his usual expressionless mask took over his face once more. He raised an eyebrow at Harry, clearly asking what this was all about. Harry shrugged and led the way out of the class, Dumbledore in tow.

When they reached the gargoyles flanking the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore stepped forward and waved his hand instead of using a password as usual. Harry felt even more confused as he followed the elderly Wizard onto the ever-spiralling staircase that took them to the door of the office.

"Please take a seat, Harry. Tea, pumpkin juice?" Dumbledore asked as he moved behind his desk and took his seat. He swirled his wand at Harry's shrug, conjuring up two cups of steaming tea.

The silence stretched on for what felt like forever, making Harry squirm slightly in his seat. He had no idea what he had done this time, but Dumbledore's actions and tone spoke of ill boding circumstances. "Sir?" Harry asked quietly, wanting to get on with it then.

"Harry, would you mind repeating the Prophecy back to me; the whole thing?"

Harry blanched, nearly dropping his tea cup. Of course he minded, especially since the memory had been removed and he couldn't recite it if he tried. "What's going on, sir? Why do you need me to repeat it; you already have it, don't you?" Harry asked, hedging quite nicely – or so he thought.

Dumbledore bowed his head for a minute before looking back up at Harry. His eyes were hard and not sparkling like usual. _Uh oh... _"Yes, Harry, I do already know it. My point in asking you to repeat it is to see if _you_ know it. Your hesitancy answers my question, however. You do not know the Prophecy."

Harry sputtered and gaped, setting his tea cup aside before he really did drop it. How on _earth_ did he know about any of that? "I...er...I don't understand...?"

"I was evaluating Mr. Malfoy again this morning and a curious memory came to light. It was an argument between Professors Snape and Lupin about removing the memory of the Prophecy to keep it safe. I wondered if Draco could possibly have just dreamed this, but you've confirmed my suspicions of its reality. Tell me, Harry; who has the memory now?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward towards Harry with a sharp look in his eyes.

Harry gulped and looked away from the searching blue eyes, feeling his stomach churn in panic. Dumbledore was acting very strange, and it was making Harry distinctly uncomfortable. "I...I dunno, sir. Professor Snape had it at first, but he didn't tell me what he did with it, out of protection from Voldemort seeing where it was if he invaded my mind again."

"And why, pray tell, did you agree to have the memory removed in the first place? That is a very delicate thing to trust to just anyone."

Harry frowned, never having heard Dumbledore speak so bluntly before. "Draco accidently saw it during an Occlumency lesson. I figured it wouldn't hurt to answer his questions about it since he defected, but Professor Snape was right livid that I'd explained it to him. He made Draco swear not to tell anyone anything, and then he took the memory of the Prophecy so that there'd be no risk of anyone else seeing it. Remus tried to stop him, but I just went along with it. Why bother having it somewhere we know Voldemort can get to if we can store it somewhere else?"

Dumbledore sighed almost sadly as he shook his head. "Did you think I had not thought of that myself, Harry? Why would I have told you the full Prophecy if I didn't wish for you to know it? I explained that same night; I'd kept if from you out of concern for many years, but that was a mistake, seeing as it led to Sirius' death. I told you for a reason. Do you know what that reason is?"

Harry shook his head slowly, feeling his heart jump into his throat at the mention of Sirius' death. He'd never forgive Dumbledore for that..._never_. "No, sir...why?"

"Harry that Prophecy spells out your destiny. It gives you the tools and information needed to fulfil that destiny. It is time we all stopped hedging around the matter and start preparing you for the inevitable. That cannot be done if you have no idea what your job is. You've no motivation to succeed without that information. That is why I decided to reveal the Prophecy to you; to start you on the road to fulfilling it once and for all."

Harry felt his stomach flip as Dumbledore spoke. Holy hell, what did that Prophecy say? Now he felt how much of a mistake it was to remove that memory; he had no idea what Dumbledore was talking about, and it scared the hell out of him. "So...I should put it back, even though there is a risk of Voldemort seeing it?"

Dumbledore nodded once, taking a sip of his cooled tea. "With your progress in Occlumency this year, I feel confident that you can keep the Prophecy from the Dark Lord effectively."

Harry nearly jumped out of his seat as his heart seemed to stop. Dumbledore never called Voldemort the Dark Lord. He'd always made it a point to call him by his true name. Something wasn't right here, and it was starting to make Harry panic. Using Occlumency to calm himself and mask his panic, Harry nodded slowly. "I guess I should go talk to Professor Snape about getting it back, then. I'm sorry, Professor, I guess I didn't think it through like I should have."

"Yes, Harry, I think you should go speak with Professor Snape, and I will want a word with him as well. Even if it was out of slight concern for you, he had no right to take that memory from you. Will you let him know I wish a meeting with him after dinner?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle still not returned to his eyes.

Harry stood up and nodded quickly, trying not to run from the office like he wanted to. "Of course, sir, I'll tell him. See you, then." Harry began to back up, keeping his eyes trained on Dumbledore in case a wand was pulled.

"Goodbye, Harry," the Headmaster said with a short nod, not a trace of his benign smile or quirky attitude in his expression. It just _wasn't_ Dumbledore.

Harry took the steps down out of the office two at a time, nearly running into Professor McGonagall as he gained the corridor outside of the Headmaster's office.

"Mr. Potter, slow down at once! There is no need to go tearing down the halls like a bat out of the dungeons." She paused as she saw his expression, her eyebrows rising slowly. "What is it, Potter, what's wrong?"

Harry shook his head, his breath coming in sharp gasps. "Don't go up there, Professor! Something isn't right with Dumbledore, I need to get to Severus right away," said Harry in a quick whisper. There was no one out in the hall, but Merlin only knew what kind of spells could be around them, tracking them and listening to them.

Minerva's eyebrows rose clean into her hair as she took in Harry's panicked state. "What makes you say that, Potter? What exactly do you think is wrong?"

"He's possessed, or it isn't him at all. I don't know, just don't go up there until I get Severus, please, Professor," Harry pleaded, feeling like time was running out of time; for what, he had no idea, but he was sure something was going to happen, and soon.

The Gryffindor Head of House nodded briskly, pulling her wand out and holding it concealed at her side. She gave it a small twirl, and five blue shots of light went in five different directions down the corridor and through the walls of the castle. "I've sent a message to put the Order on alert. I'll stay here until you get back with Professor Snape. Come straight back here, Harry, and bring only Severus, and Remus if he is near."

Harry nodded quickly and took off down the hall without a backward glance. A few floors down, students began to trickle out of the classrooms as the bell for dinner rang. People stopped and watched Harry fly by, or else jumped out of the way as he pushed through the hungry throng of students. He hoped Snape was either in the Great Hall, or en route; the dungeons were really quite a far walk.

Once in the Entrance Hall, Harry skidded to a halt deciding to check the Great Hall first. Neville was about to stop him, but he help up a hand and continued on into the Hall, gaining more curious looks from his classmates. He locked eyes with Professor Snape right away as he scanned the staff table.

Severus reached over and grabbed Remus' leg under the table, nodding towards Harry once he had his attention. "Harry looks upset."

Remus watched as Harry approached the staff table, looking like he wanted to run, but not wanting to draw attention to himself. "I could have sworn I saw Minerva's alert go out when I was on my way here. I think we better figure out what's going on."

"Never a dull moment with Potter..." Severus grumbled as he stood from his seat and met Harry half-way, Remus right behind him. He knew they were causing a bit of a scene, but he wasn't concerned about that just now. "Harry?"

"It's Professor Dumbledore, something's not right. He's not acting himself, and he knows you removed my memory of the Prophecy. I need it back, sir. I think it was a huge mistake removing it," Harry said in a quick, extremely quiet whisper.

Severus stiffened slightly, having felt a similar discomfort at the way Albus had interrupted his class. It wasn't something he had expected from the Headmaster, and now Harry was convinced something was amiss as well.

"We'll discuss the memory later and much more in private. Did you leave Albus alone in his office?" Severus asked as he began to lead the way out of the Great Hall, Harry beside him and Remus behind them. It was starting to become extremely obvious that the three of them were more than just Professors and student; they were so often seen together whenever trouble came round.

Harry shook his head as they gained the Entrance Hall and started up the spiral staircase. "No, I ran into Professor McGonagall on my way out of the office. She's standing guard and put the Order on alert."

"Good. We may need back up."

As they finally turned the corner heading towards the Headmaster's office, they spotted Professor McGonagall, with Charlie Weasley and Tonks at her side.

"Severus, one of the wards has been breached. It had to have been carefully dismantled; the usual alarms did not go off as they should have. Filius is working on restoring it now so that no others can come through, but we have a much bigger problem. Albus has been compromised, but I don't know how, or if Albus is even there at all," Minerva said, her back stiff and her expression grim.

Tonks turned quickly as she saw a flash of blue light fly around the corner towards the group of people congregated around the stone gargoyles. Everyone paused as they waited for something – what, Harry wasn't sure.

'Wards on HQ attacked, stabilized for now. Back up nice but not required. How goes on the Hogwarts front?'

It was the strangest sensation Harry had ever felt. He had heard the message from Bill just like the rest of the group, but it had played out in his head, not out loud. He assumed it was that secret form of communication between Order members that Dumbledore had mentioned once before.

"Lupin, can you answer that for us? Put them on alert for more back up from the Aurors, and contact Hestia and Dedalus," said Minerva as she twirled her wand in a complicated fashion. A red line traced the entrance to the Headmaster's office, seeping into the stone and making it emit a faint glow.

Remus concentrated for a few seconds before flicking his wand, sending three blue streaks in three separate directions. "Done. You warded the office, correct?"

"No one can leave or enter this office until I remove the warding. What did Dumbledore want to talk to you about, Harry?"

Harry looked over to Snape, not sure how much he should say. Did McGongall, Charlie, and Tonks know the Prophecy? "Er, he wanted to talk to me about a memory he saw when inspecting Draco..." Something clicked then, making his chest feel tight.

"Severus, he was with Draco, he was in his mind! What if...?" Harry said quickly, his eyes wide in terror.

Severus stiffened, feeling a sense of dread grab at his heart. They didn't know if Dumbledore had been possessed, Imperioused, or replaced all together. He couldn't allow himself to panic, or let Harry panic for them both. He took a deep breath and caught Remus' eye, feeling the man's sympathy just through eye contact with him. "I will go check on Draco – _alone_. Stay here with Remus, Harry. I don't want you wondering around the castle with the wards tampered with like they are."

"But – "

"No, Harry! You will stay _here_, do you understand?" Severus said firmly, feeling the panic rise in his chest. He needed to get to his godson, but he also had to make sure Harry stayed where he could be watched and protected.

Harry's lip trembled as he nodded jerkily. He felt helpless, wanting to run to Draco's side and make sure he was ok, even if the Slytherin had no idea who he was. "Ok, go make sure he's alright." A hand descended on his shoulder, and he instinctively reached up and grasped it.

"Just let Severus take care of things, Harry," said Charlie, his hand still resting on Harry's shoulder. He could feel the Gryffindor trembling, allowing his hand to be squeezed quite hard.

Severus was nearly at the doors to the infirmary when Poppy burst out into the corridor, looking frantic and harried. She spotted the Potions Professor and visibly relaxed, but only slightly.

"Severus, thank Merlin! Draco is quite distraught, but he's refusing to take any potions. He's already shattered four with accidental magic," said Poppy as she led Severus into the hospital wing and towards Draco's cornered-off bed.

There was a pathetic whimpering sound coming from behind the curtain, making Severus' chest hurt as a choked sobbed accompanied the whimpering. He pulled the curtain back and was immediately assaulted with a tight hug, almost sending him to the ground.

Draco was clinging to his robes, crying into the soft fabric as his entire body trembled. Not knowing what to do, Severus allowed his arms to wrap around the Slytherin, rubbing small circles on his pyjama clad back.

"Shh, Draco, calm down. What's wrong?" Severus asked quietly, trying his best to ignore the matron standing beside him wiping subtly at her eyes.

Draco shivered in his godfather's embrace, his snivelling slowing down only slightly. "He tried to take away some of the memories I got back...I pushed him out, though, so he couldn't see them anymore. I thought you said he was trying to help me, Sev..." Draco whined, sounding petulant and making Severus' skin crawl. Then again, Draco had reverted to the age of eight in his amnesic state.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore didn't mean to hurt you. Don't worry, I won't let him anywhere near your memories again, I promise. Now why don't you get back in bed and take these potions for me, alright? They'll make you feel better," said Severus, trying to be as calm and soothing as possible.

He had no experience in being gentle with children, even when he had been around Draco when he really _was_ an eight year old. He was never allowed to be soft with Lucius around; his spy status would be too much at stake. That was his excuse for being so hard on his students over the years, though eventually that just became his nature; mean greasy old Snape, the Potions Professor of Hogwarts.

Draco gave him a slightly sceptical look before finally giving in and crawling back onto his hospital bed. He took the potions from Poppy and drank them down after a contemptuous look that had no affect on the matron. With a last look of betrayal, Draco's eyes slid shut as he slumped back onto his pillows.

Severus covered his godson up and brushed his platinum blonde hair out of his eyes, sighing softly. It was going to be a long night; good thing Draco would sleep through the rest of it.

By the time Severus returned to the huddle outside of the Headmaster's office, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones had joined to group, along with another Auror whom he didn't recognise as being an Order member. He felt his chest constrict as Harry stepped forward towards him when he got closer, almost as if seeking shelter.

"Any developments?" asked Severus as he rested a hand on Harry's shoulder, just to let him know that everything with Draco was ok.

Minerva turned around at Severus' question, looking harassed and worried. She had her wand out, retracing the ward she had placed on the wall leading to the entrance before. "No, not yet, Severus. Filius managed to fix the ward and seal off the Floo network to Albus' hearth. We were just discussing a plan of action for confronting him, whoever he may be. You wouldn't happen to have any Veritaserum on you, would you?" she asked hopefully.

Severus reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a black pouch containing many different delicate potions that he always made a point of keeping on his person at all time. He withdrew a slender vial of completely clear potion, holding it up to examine it closely. "I always come prepared, Minerva."

"I think we should take down the ward gently and enter the stairwell as quietly as possible as not to alert Albus of our presence. Once we reach the top, we'll take position on either side of the door, have somebody open the door, and aim to stun. Once he's down we can resuscitate him and interrogate him with the Veritaserum. Sound good to everyone?" said Tonks, looking around at the assembled mass of Order members and a few non-Order – like Harry and the strange Auror.

Severus pointedly turned Harry towards him as the rest of the group nodded their consent to the game-plan. "You are not to be included in this. You're not an Order member, and Merlin only knows who could be possessing or impersonating the Headmaster. I want you to go sit with Draco in the infirmary until I go and collect you from there. Do you understand? Do not go anywhere else or leave until I get there."

Harry was torn between putting up a fight, and running to make sure Draco was ok. He knew the other adults would share Snape's concerns and not let him near any battle, and trying to convince them would only waste his breath and valuable fighting time. He sighed heavily as he nodded. "Alright, I understand, sir."

Severus felt a sense of relief wash over him as he had one less thing to worry about – for the moment, at least. He gave Harry one last squeeze on the shoulder before gently pushing the boy in the direction of the hospital wing, watching him until he turned the corner out of sight.

"Severus, you'll stand behind me, in front on Jameson here. Be prepared to administer to Veritaserum as soon as Albus is down. Everyone ready? Good, let's go," said Tonks, slipping her wand out of her arm holster quite easily.

The rest of the group mimicked Tonks, pulling their wands and preparing to move as stealthily as possible once the ward was removed from the entrance.

"_Finite Incantatum!_" Minerva hissed. The gargoyle sprang to life without aid of a password and the wall slid open to reveal the ever-spiralling staircase leading up to the ornate door of the Headmaster's office.

Once everyone was in place, Charlie carefully turned the doorknob and swung the door open. Tonks and Remus set off stunners immediately at the first sign of movement. Tonks' missed, but Remus' hit his target. There was a dull thud as the Headmaster of Hogwarts hit the floor.

"I'll never be able to forgive myself for stunning Albus," Remus muttered as the group trouped into the office behind Severus.

Kneeling beside the Headmaster, Severus lifted the old man's head so that it rested against his arm. He nodded at Charlie, who knelt down to gently pry open Dumbledore's jaw, allowing Severus to carefully pour in three drops of the Truth serum before standing back up.

"_Ennervate!_"

Albus' eyes flickered open, and it was immediately obvious that the Truth serum had taken affect. His usually sparkling blue eyes were dull and glossed over, and his cheerful expression replaced with slack indifference.

"Can you confirm that you are in fact Albus Dumbledore?" asked Minerva, who had conjured a straight-backed chair and sat facing the Headmaster.

Albus looked to be struggling for the right answer for a few seconds. It seemed like he was fighting the serum. "No."

Many in the group exchanged wary glances as Minerva carried on. "Who are you, if not Albus Dumbledore?"

"I am Augustus Rookwood," responded the imposter – apparently Rookwood.

Severus' brows creased as he tried to figure out how that could be. How on earth could Rookwood have entered into the castle undetected, and where was the _real_ Albus? "Where is Albus Dumbledore, Rookwood?" This time, the question was asked by Severus.

"Hidden in his quarters, stunned but "

Charlie immediately got to his feet and headed for the Headmaster's quarters. After a few minutes, Charlie poked his head out and nodded. "I found him. He's ok, but really confused and weak. He's lying in bed now."

"Did the Dark Lord breach the wards, or did you do it yourself?" Severus asked, feeling his stomach churn. If the old mad man was teaching the Inner-Circle Death Eaters his most dangerous skills, they had much more to worry about.

"I did," was the simple answer yet again. Severus cursed himself, wishing he would have given a higher dose to loosen up Rookwood's tongue a little more for details.

"What was the purpose of impersonating Dumbledore? What were you trying to achieve?" asked Minerva as she leaned down, a stern look on her aging face.

"The Dark Lord wishes to hear the other half of the Prophecy concerning him and the Potter boy. My job was to impersonate Dumbledore and try to get the information out of Potter or any other person who may know the full contents of the Prophecy. There was a chance of the youngest Malfoy knowing the information, so I was told to concentrate on him as much as I could."

Minerva shared a look with Hestia before she turned her attention back to the imposter. "Why did Voldemort have you impersonate Dumbledore, but not kill him?"

There was an eerie chuckle as faux-Dumbledore shook his head slowly, his eyes trailing up to meet Minerva's. "Dumbledore still knows far too much important information to just kill him. I was supposed to take the old man with me after I succeeded in my mission. Polyjuice potion was much easier to pull off, though apparently I'm not as good at acting as I thought."

Upon the mention of a potion being used, every eye turned to Severus, some of them slightly suspicious. He huffed as he glared around the room. "I was nearly killed by that scum and his men. Don't you think I would have mentioned something about this if I had any knowledge of it whatsoever? Do not point the finger at me; I may be the only Potions Master for miles around, but there are plenty of others who could almost qualify for Mastery. Besides, polyjuice is not a very difficult potion to concoct. I'm sure I was easy to replace in the Dark Lord's ranks," he snapped icily, successfully turning the suspicious glares into chagrined blushes.

"Perhaps we were not accusing you, but curious if you had the antidote to polyjuice on you," said Minerva, though a few of the others looked as though they were fully ready to point the finger at Snape regardless of his speech.

Severus rolled his eyes, giving the Deputy Headmistress a withering look. "Of course I do, but generally when one wishes to ask a question, they do it verbally and not with accusing glares." He let that sink in a little before going on, trying to ignore the few glares that were turned his way once more.

"There are a few different potions that can reverse the affects of polyjuice. However, this one should clear the potion out of his system, even though it is a universal antidote, used for many different potions," said Severus as he pulled a blue vial out of his inner-robe pocket.

Minerva stood up and retrieved the vial from Severus, looking carefully at the cerulean potion. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Yes, I'm positive it will work. Rookwood will be extremely weak afterwards. We should probably bind him just as a precaution before it is administered."

"We'll be taking him into custody immediately. After more interrogation, he'll probably be obliviated. Don't want to take any chances of Voldemort hearing any of this information. We'll need to go over the wards again with Filius," said Tonks, using her wand to conjured ropes and tie Rookwood's hands and legs.

Minerva nodded succinctly before kneeling down beside Rookwood-turned-Dumbledore, popping the cork off of the potion. She hesitated, looking warily at the man who looked like the Headmaster. "Was your mission successful?"

"No. Snape removed the memory of the Prophecy from Potter's mind. I was close, but not close enough..." said Albus' voice.

Everyone in the room once again turned to stare at Severus, but this time they looked shocked instead of accusing. Severus shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was under a burning hot spotlight. He relaxed marginally when he felt Remus' hand descend gently to the middle of his back.

"I did what I needed to do to keep Harry safe. The memory is safe and can be returned to him at any time. I, for one, am extremely glad I did remove the memory, or else Rookwood would have just taken the information straight to the Dark Lord. If you'll excuse me..." Severus turned and made his way quickly out of the Headmaster's office without waiting to see the antidote given. He felt Remus walking right behind him, and couldn't explain just how relieved he was to have the man with him. Even after everything that had happened, Remus still stood by him.

"Severus..."

Severus stopped just outside the doors of the hospital wing as Remus whispered his name. He didn't turn around or respond, but just waited for his one-time lover and ex-enemy to speak.

Remus moved a bit closer, feeling his heart tug as Severus stayed facing away from him. "I want to apologize again for telling you that removing the Prophecy was a mistake. You just saved Harry's life again – saved all of our lives."

Severus took a deep breath, turning around half way to meet Remus' beautiful amber eyes. "Apology accepted, again." He started to move forward towards the infirmary again when Remus grabbed his hand.

"Please, Severus...I hate this. I can't even talk to you anymore. I want to fix this, let me fix this."

Severus squeezed his eyes closed for a second before opening them once more, turning back to fully face the werewolf. He could see the desperation in Remus' eyes, feel the longing in his firm grip on his hand. "You're not the one who broke things in the first place, Remus. That was all my doing. You need to let me fix things, but in my own time."

Remus nodded slowly, feeling that tightly coiled sense of panic in his stomach loosen, if only just a little. He moved forward and cupped the Potion Master's cheek, waiting to be pushed away. It never happened. "Thank you."

Severus didn't say anything; he didn't need to. He leaned forward and kissed Remus gently, but passionately. "Don't thank me yet." He pulled away and walked the last few feet to the infirmary doors. Upon entrance, three things became apparent to him: Draco was still blissfully asleep, Harry had stayed like he was supposed to, and his charges had obviously grown much closer than he originally thought.

"Well...I think, perhaps, we might need to have a little talk with Harry," Remus whispered as he followed Severus closer to Draco's bed.

Severus nodded slowly as he crept closer to his godson's bed. He couldn't help the small smile that traced his lips, even as he felt a slight twinge of panic in his stomach. Draco was lying on his side, sleeping peacefully with a very content look on his face. Lying behind him in the hospital bed was Harry, also asleep, his hair mussed and his face creased in worry. He had an arm thrown across Draco's waist and was clutching one of the Slytherin's pale hands in his own. The contrast between Draco's pale skin and white-blonde hair, and Harry's tanned skin and dark, onyx hair was beautiful.

"Why do I have a feeling this can only end in heartache?" Severus whispered to Remus, even as he kept his eyes trained on the two teenagers sleeping quietly in front of him.

"Because you're a pessimist, Severus. Let them sleep, there's no harm being done by them lying together," Remus whispered back, wrapping his arms around Severus from behind. The two boys looked so calm and peaceful. It reminded him of his own teenage years, and the black haired boy he used to sleep curled up with. He pushed the thought away, content with pulling Severus closer to him.

Severus sighed as he leaned back against Remus' chest, unable to stop the bubble of worry that threatened to make him wake the boys up and separate them immediately. "No harm done...yet."

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**A/N:** Uh oh! Voldemort is making some moves now! And I do believe the end of this chapter is an answer to many of your questions regarding the relationship between Harry and Draco. Please, PLEASE review! I am not too proud to beg lol. I really would like everyone's opinion on the story so far, and where you think it should go from here! I love hearing fan responses!


	21. Home Is Where the Heart Is

**A/N:** Hey all! It's update time again. Not much to say this time. I hope you enjoy the new developments in this chapter! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers so far! You keep me writing.

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**Ch 21.  
Home Is Where the Heart Is**

Seeing Draco act like an eight year old was probably strangest, yet most amusing thing Harry had ever experienced. Every day after lessons ended, he made his way to the hospital wing and sat with Draco, answering some of his questions about Hogwarts and what his life had been like, since he could not remember it himself. Harry made sure to steer clear of any of the bad memories, including their own quite passionate rivalry.

Draco had been ecstatic when he found out he was allowed to do magic since he was at school. Harry and Poppy both had to wrestle his wand from him one evening when the Slytherin had excitedly brandished his wand and set the curtains around his hospital bed on fire.

A few times Draco would just sit with a blank stare, not saying a word even when Harry tried to speak to him. Healer Smithson explained that he was going into a sort of trance as little snippets of his memory started to come back. It gave Harry hope, but he tried not to get too excited about it; it would be a long time before Draco's full memory came back.

It was hard to believe it had only been a week since Dumbledore had been attacked and impersonated. Harry felt like months had passed since then. Every day, Dumbledore would attempt to get Harry to come to his office and speak to him, but Harry would have none of it. After getting his memory of the Prophecy back from Snape, Harry refused to be alone in a room with the Headmaster.

Dumbledore had been devastated when he was informed of what had happened, and that he had allowed himself to be compromised by a Death Eater. He apologized profusely to anyone who would listen, and was much more closed off and solemn than usual. He had even stopped offering sweets whenever someone entered his office, and his password to gain access to the spiralling staircase changed from 'toffee éclairs', to simply 'please'. It worried all of the professors, McGonagall especially, but no one seemed to be able to pull the Headmaster out of this funk.

Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks were still investigating how the wards on the Headmaster's office had been compromised, and how Rookwood had managed to attack and impersonate Dumbledore undetected until Harry had raised the alarm. So far, the investigation was coming up dry, and the evidence had long grown cold. Rookwood was still being held in a Ministry cell instead of being shipped off to Azkaban.

It was Monday, right after lessons had ended for the day. Harry made his way to the hospital wing, his bag slung over his shoulder. He waved to Hermione, who was talking to Neville and heading towards the Great Hall for dinner. Harry always ate with Draco, even if the hospital food wasn't as good as the food in the Great Hall.

Harry felt a smile tugging at his lips as he walked through the infirmary doors and found Draco trying to levitate a quill with his wand, a look of deep concentration on his face. Harry had begun to teach him some simple spells, hoping that would help more memories break through. So far, Draco had only been able to pull off a weak _Lumos_.

"Harry!" Draco beamed as he spotted Harry watching him from the doorway. He put down his wand and sat back in his bed, knowing that dinner would be coming soon if Harry was there. He still wasn't quite sure who Harry was, but he must be someone important to come and see him every day.

Harry couldn't help the huge grin on his face as he walked over and took his usual seat by Draco's bed. The Slytherin had lost a bit of weight while comatose, but even after only two weeks of eating solid foods, Harry could tell he was gaining that weight back steadily. He actually looked healthy, now.

"How was your day? Any luck with the levitation spell?" Harry asked as two house elves popped into the infirmary with plates of food. Harry sat his plate down beside Draco's on the little spindly table where they had eaten together for the last week.

"Boring. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me have my wand until I promised her I wouldn't try any spells other than _Wingardium Leviosa_. I worked on it all day and the quill only twitched a bit. Learning magic is hard," Draco whined in a way the sixteen-year-old Draco would have despised.

Harry swirled his mashed potatoes around before eating a forkful. He watched Draco fight with his knife before taking pity and helping him cut up his chicken. "It gets easier once you get the feel of using your wand. That will probably start to come back to you much quicker after you master a few more spells."

Draco frowned at the cut up chicken on his plate, taking his knife back from Harry a bit too forcefully. "I lost my memory, not my ability to cut up meat," Draco snapped, stabbing at a piece of chicken viciously.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to help, Draco," Harry whispered, a bit stung. The way Draco was acting reminded Harry of the Draco he had always feuded with, and he didn't like it at all. He knew Draco's memories of their rivalry would come back eventually, but he was really hoping they hadn't come back so quickly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not an invalid, so don't treat me like one." Draco stabbed a few pieces of broccoli with his fork, smearing his mashed potatoes around disinterestedly. He didn't know why he was feeling so stung by Harry's attempt to help. He'd allowed the Gryffindor to help him with lots of other stuff, even changing his clothes when he was still too weak to stand up on his own.

Healer Smithson had warned them all about the mood swings that would accompany Draco's memory recognition. The change in his brain activity as new memories came into play would spike Draco's irritation, as only certain memories would return, and sometimes only partially. It was already extremely infuriating having no idea who you were, but adding in half complete memories that made little to no sense would only make it worse.

Harry took a deep drink of his pumpkin juice, not sure what to say to the Slytherin. He knew if he said the wrong thing he could set off another tantrum like he'd had two days ago in which Harry wore the rest of his dinner after telling Draco his skin was looking a bit less pale.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I won't do it anymore. Do...do you remember anything else, has anything come back yet?" Harry asked tentatively, knowing he was playing with fire but too curious not to ask. He was sure Draco had remembered something of their rivalry, and that was why the Slytherin was acting so surly towards him.

Draco slammed his fork down, upsetting the pitcher of pumpkin juice and sloshing the orange liquid everywhere. "No, _nothing_ has come back yet! At least not anything I understand. I really wish everyone would stop asking me that! When it comes back, I'll be sure to let everyone know!"

The way Draco was speaking made Harry think whatever little snippets of memory Draco had gotten back had upped his mental age from eight to about thirteen. If that were the case, memories of their rivalry would soon be coming back, and Harry couldn't think of anything he wanted to happen less.

"I'm sorry, I won't ask. Let's just talk about some more spells. Maybe I'll teach you – "

"No! I don't want you to teach me anything! If I can't even levitate a stupid quill, what makes you think I could do anything else? Just leave me alone!" Draco swiped his arm across the table, sending everything crashing to the floor with a loud sound of breaking glass.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out quickly as Harry stood up, trembling from combined anger and sadness. "Fine, I'll leave you alone! Sorry for caring and trying to help! If you think you can do this all on your own, then fine; I'll stop coming to see you." He spun on his heel, grabbed his bag off the floor and quickly stalked out of the hospital wing just as Snape was entering.

"Potter, what's going on?" Severus snapped as he looked back and forth between a pissed off Harry and a pouting Draco, who looked extremely close to tears.

Harry shook his head as he tried to move away, but Snape grabbed his wrist. He glared at the Potions Master and roughly pulled his arm away. "I can't do this anymore, Severus. I try to help but he just pushes me away! I'm sorry..." Harry took off, wiping at his eyes angrily for betraying the torment he was feeling inside.

Severus felt distinctly wrong-footed as he watched Harry walk quickly down the corridor, then disappear around the corner. He turned to ask Draco what exactly had happened, but the words were stuck in his throat as he saw the Slytherin's head bowed, tears sliding down his pale cheeks.

"He hates me..."

Severus sat beside Draco, his robes bunching up around him. He didn't exactly know what to say, but he knew the truth of the matter. He hoped that would be enough.

"He doesn't hate you, Draco. He's frustrated and confused, as I am myself, and so are you. This is not easy for anyone, and emotions are simply running high."

Draco wiped at his tears, brushing his too-long hair out of his face in frustration. "Doesn't he realise I _want_ to remember him, or anyone else for that matter? I don't want to be here, confused and lost. He's the only one who tells me anything, even though he won't tell me where my parents are or how I ended up this way. He tells me about Hogwarts and teaches me the magic I've forgotten. I want Harry to keep visiting, Sev. I didn't mean I never wanted him here again, but he just kept pushing me, asking if I remembered anything. I wish I could tell him yes, that I remember everything, but I don't! I don't remember..." Draco trailed off as the tears leaked from his eyes once more.

"Harry is just upset for the moment. I'm sure when he cools off, he'll come back. For now, you should lie down and get some rest," said Severus as he stood to leave. He looked down as Draco caught his wrist, a horribly sad expression on his face.

"Why won't anyone tell me what happened, or where Mother and Father are?" Draco asked in a hoarse whisper. He looked so young and innocent, it was hard to see the real Draco Malfoy in there at all.

"Healer Smithson says giving you too much information at once would be much too overwhelming for you. You will find out eventually, but we can't flood you with too much right now. Trust me, Draco," Severus said quietly, clutching Draco's shoulder.

Draco nodded solemnly and wiped the rest of his tears away. "I do. Goodnight, Sev."

"Sleep well, Draco."

S~S~S~S

The dungeon door closing with a sharp snap brought Harry's attention up from his Transfiguration essay. He immediately looked back down when he noticed Snape's expression, however. He already felt bad enough as it was, but he was sure he was about to get an earful anyways. Setting his quill and parchment aside, he waited for the shouting to begin. It never came.

Severus took his usual seat in his favourite armchair after removing his teaching robes and hanging them over the back of the couch. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. Harry looked extremely nervous, and even seemed prepared to be yelled at. However, Severus knew that shouting and berating the boy for upsetting Draco would achieve nothing. He'd learned better over the last couple of months that sitting down with the stubborn Gryffindor and talking things out was the best way to get through to him.

"Draco was very upset when you left the hospital wing."

Harry bowed his head, rubbing the headache from his temples. He knew he shouldn't have left like that, but he was so frustrated, he couldn't stand it anymore. "I know, I'm sorry. I was just really upset, and I figured it would be better to just leave. Is he ok now?" he asked, hoping Draco didn't absolutely hate him now.

Severus nodded slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Harry, who was trying his hardest to avoid eye contact at all. "He's calmed down, yes, but he's under the impression that you are quite upset with him and will never go to visit him again."

"The prat, of course I'm still going to be there after classes end every day. I just got frustrated with his mood swings when I was only trying to help him," Harry snapped, feeling the indignation of before when Draco had gone off on him for simply helping him to cut his chicken.

"Do you not think that Draco has every desire in the world to answer 'yes' every time you ask him if he's remembered something? Every time you ask him, he feels a little more ashamed, and little more frustrated that he can't remember _anything_. That is likely why his moods shift as quickly as they do; he is so afraid of disappointing you that he shields his insecurity by turning it into anger. He doesn't even know who you are, Harry, but he knows he wants you in his life, and that having you walk out of it would tear him apart. Call it careful observation, but I can clearly see you've got him hooked." Severus noted Harry's blush as the Gryffindor still tried to avoid direct eye contact.

Harry didn't know what to say. He had not exactly intended for that to happen, but he did not actively stop it from happening either. If he was quite honest, he'd been hoping that this could be a fresh start for himself and Draco. He'd irrationally even thought that he could help Draco get his memory back, but take out all of the memories of their past rivalry. Snape was right; Draco was hooked, but Harry had it just as bad.

"Is it really that obvious, sir?" he asked quietly, finally looking up to catch the Potion Master's eye.

Severus sighed as he rubbed a hand tiredly across his eyes. "Not exactly obvious, no, but I _do_ know the signs – trust me," he murmured, the corners of his lips twitching up in a rueful smile.

Other than Harry's rather blatant admission of knowing about his relationship with Remus in the library nearly a month ago, Severus had not deigned to discuss his love life with the boy, nor had he had the desire to discuss Harry's own. That is, until it became obvious to Severus that the boy clearly had it in spades for his godson.

Harry smirked even as he blushed under his guardian's gaze. He wasn't ashamed of his feelings, just embarrassed that he'd been found out. He frowned as his thoughts turned to the stricken expression on Draco's face when he stormed out of the infirmary. "I've gone on mucked it all already though, haven't I?"

"I believe it is quite salvageable, Harry, but you must be willing to give Draco more leeway. He can only remember little snippets here and there, and even then they're pointless and make very little sense to him. Constantly asking him if he can remember anything only reminds him of his failure, even though we both know he has no control over getting his memory back. These things just take time. Be patient with him, and be calm even when he has his outbursts. Remember that he is the victim here, and he sometimes just can't help his mood swings. When he remembers something, you will surely be the first to know. Can you do that?" Severus asked quietly, searching watery emerald eyes for the truthfulness of his impending answer.

Harry nodded slowly as he wiped the threatening tears from his eyes before they could fall. He felt so foolish for the way he had treated the Slytherin, but he was shocked that Snape had been so understanding and calm. He appreciated it more than he could ever express, but he tried anyways. "Thank you, Severus, for being so...nice, I guess."

Severus let out a low chuckle as he stood up and crossed the sitting room, kneeling down in front of Harry and reaching out to grasp one of his shoulders. "I don't _do_ nice, Harry. I've simply learned that shouting and losing my temper with you only serves to make things ten times worse. The more calm I am with you, the calmer you'll be with me in return. You're not unintelligent, just hot-headed sometimes."

Harry grinned even as he scoffed slightly, pushing Severus' hand away half-heartedly. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment," he said, though it came out as more of a question than a statement.

"Yes, Harry, that was indeed a compliment, as veiled as I tried to make it. As I said, you're not stupid."

"I should go talk to Draco now, shouldn't I?" Harry asked, glancing at the clock above the mantle and seeing that it was still a couple of hours until curfew.

Severus stood up and checked the time, sighing heavily as he couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse to keep Harry in their quarters for the night. "I told him to get some rest before I left, but I'm sure he's still awake, contemplating whether or not you'll go see him after classes tomorrow."

Harry nodded solemnly as he too stood, ready to head out of the dungeon quarters as soon as Snape said he was allowed. "Guess I better go reassure him then. I'll be back before curfew, I promise."

Severus rolled his eyes as he waved his hand at Harry dismissively, directing him towards the exit. "Do not make promises you cannot keep, Potter. At least this time I'll _know_ you have fallen asleep in the infirmary when you do not come home." He had not meant to say that last word in such a fond tone, but it had slipped out. When he saw the grateful smile on Harry's face, however, he lost all desire to take it back.

Harry didn't say anything; he didn't really need to. He knew that Snape realized what he'd said, but the man was not taking it back. It warmed Harry more than he cared to admit at the moment. For now, he had a sullen, forgetful Slytherin in hospital he needed to go suck up to.

S~S~S~S

Snape had hit the nail right on the head. Draco was sitting up in bed, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was staring at the wall opposite, apparently so lost in thought that he didn't even realize Harry was there until he sat down on the bed beside Draco. He jumped slightly.

"Harry...I – "

Harry lifted a hand to cut Draco off, eerily reminding himself of Snape in the process. He sighed heavily, feeling quite nervous now that he was there with Draco. He hadn't planned on what to say, so he was just going to let it flow as it came to him.

"I'm sorry I've been berating you about remembering stuff or not. I sometimes forget how hard this is for you, and I selfishly just want you to remember me, or anything for that matter. I know you don't mean to snap at me or lose your temper like you do; it's part of the healing process, and something you can't really control."

"Harry – "

Harry shook his head firmly, cutting Draco off once more. He needed to get this all out before he lost his nerve and stopped completely. He turned so that he could look into Draco's icy grey eyes, almost getting lost before picking his train of thought back up.

"Please, Draco; just listen for a minute. I don't have any excuse for the way I treated you and yelled at you other than I'm a prat and I got frustrated. I'm sorry, and I'll keep coming back every day, if that's what you want." Harry let out a relieved huff of breath, feeling his heart rate slow down just a little. He waited for Draco to respond, to say anything. The longer the silence went on, the more nervous Harry became.

"Of course I want you to come back every day, Harry," Draco whispered, finally breaking the long, unnerving silence that had threatened to engulf them both. Draco pulled his knees closer to his chest, resting his chin on one knee and staring at Harry instead of the wall.

"I really am trying. And you're right; I don't mean to snap at you so much. I'll try not to anymore, but please don't hate me if I can't always keep myself in check." Draco paused, hesitating to ask the question that had been circling around his already confused mind since Harry had stalked out of the infirmary hours before. He was afraid of the answer, but he had to know.

"Would you hate me if I never remembered who I used to be?" he asked, his voice so soft he thought he might need to repeat himself, but was distracted from that thought as Harry moved closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a slightly awkward half-embrace.

"I would never hate you for that, Draco. I'd probably be a little upset, but I wouldn't ever blame you for not being able to remember. Don't ever think that..." Harry trailed off as Draco untangled his limbs and feel gracefully into his arms, curling up smaller than he thought was possible. He pulled the Slytherin closer to him, shifting to a more comfortable position and resting his chin gently on top of Draco's white-blonde hair.

"Who are you, Harry, and why do I feel like I need you so damn much?" whispered Draco as he traced a lazy pattern on Harry's leg with his finger. It felt so right to be this close to Harry, even if he was afraid to find out who the boy really was.

"I'm just Harry, and I can't tell you that. That's something you'll have to figure out on your own," said Harry, feeling his chest ache as he selfishly wished Draco never remembered who Harry really was to him. He couldn't stand to lose this now, and it had only just begun.

"Stay with me?"

"Of course."

S~S~S~S

It wasn't until Wednesday of that same week that Dumbledore finally managed to corner Harry and insist on a chat. Harry felt his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage as he followed the Headmaster out of the infirmary, where he had been trying to teach Draco how to summon things. He had absolutely no desire to be alone with Dumbledore after the polyjuice incident, and spent the entire trip up to the Head's office Occluding his mind, just in case.

"Please, Harry, sit. Would you like some tea and biscuits?" Dumbledore asked as he swept around and took his own seat behind his desk, leaving Harry to nervously perch on the edge of the guest seat. The observational old man noticed Harry's tense posture and sighed sadly.

"I am very sorry for what happened before, Harry. I should have been more aware, and better prepared to protect you from such dangers. There has been every precaution known to wizard kind placed on and around my office and quarters, and I assure you I am myself. I will even submit to Veritaserum if that is what it takes to earn your trust back."

Harry felt slightly ashamed, shaking his head slowly as some of the tension eased from him completely. "No, sir, that won't be necessary. I'm just a little paranoid now, sorry."

"You have every right to feel unsafe, Harry; there is no reason for you to apologize to me. Hopefully the good news I have for you today will help to ease your worry," Dumbledore said as he conjured a tea service and poured tea for two. He offered a cup to Harry along with a tray of delicious looking chocolate biscuits.

Harry politely accepted the tea and cookies, pushing down the slight worry that it was contaminated in any way. He took a deep drink of his tea and grateful bite of a biscuit before realizing what Dumbledore had even said. "Good news, sir?"

Dumbledore ice blue eyes had that familiar twinkle once more, which set Harry even more at ease as he sat back to listen to this good news.

"I have been doing some very heavy, thorough research about protective wards ever since the attack on your aunt and uncle's house. You've been placed with Professor Snape as an extra precaution, yes, but we must take into account your safety once the school year is over once more. I came across some very ancient, almost forgotten wards in an old tome I found in Ireland."

As the Headmaster paused to take a sip of tea, Harry took the opportunity to ask the question that had been nagging at him for a while. "That's where you've been disappearing to all this time, isn't it? You've been doing it all for my sake."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, his expression a bit more serious now. "And with good reason, Harry. If even I can put you in as much danger as I have recently, there is no doubt in my mind you need much stronger protection.

"This warding comes from ancient Gaelic Wizarding beliefs. It is the Caomhnóir an Solas ward, or Guardian of the Light ward. Direct translation suggests that the ward refers to someone who guards light; fire, sunlight, things of the like. However, upon further reading I discovered that the true meaning behind the wording is that this ward is meant for guarding the pure of heart, the Light instead of the Darkness. With this ward, I believe you have almost as much protection as you did with your mother's blood sacrifice, and possibly even more."

Harry felt his pulse quicken, not daring to believe his ears. Even if he would be seventeen and of age in less than a year, knowing he had extra protection would help ease his worry greatly. "So what does this ward require, exactly, sir?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more as he smiled seemingly benignly at Harry, his hands crossed in front of him. "This ward requires a Guardian who must adopt you, and enter into a special type of bonding that occurs when the adoptive parent or parents are willing to include you as a real part of their family."

"The Weasleys! They'd do it, I know they would. They already count me as part of their family," Harry said excitedly, feeling his spirits soar as he thought about being a real part of Ron's family. His good mood was shattered then, as he remembered that Ron hated him now. Dumbledore seemed to have sensed his inner turmoil.

"The Weasleys would probably be willing, yes, but you see for yourself the type of dilemma you face by trying to become part of their family. I am not saying to write them off, just simply try to think of other potential guardians. I do not need an answer right away, but sooner would be much preferable than later. Once you have chosen who you'd like, and spoken to them about it, come to me and we'll set everything in motion. Have you any other ideas of who to ask?"

Harry frowned as he tried to think of other people who'd willingly include him in their family. There was Remus, of course, but he didn't really have any family, and with his condition, the Ministry would never allow him to adopt a child, even a sixteen-year-old one. Then there was Snape. Harry almost burst out laughing as he imagined asking Snape to adopt him and allow him to be part of his family. Snape's family consisted of Draco and Draco only, as far as Harry knew.

"Does whoever I ask have to have a family, sir, or can they be single and childless?" Harry asked, hoping to clear that confusion up so he could more easily make a decision.

"They can be single and without child, certainly. However, I'm sure you know that Remus is obviously out of the question, unfortunately."

Harry nodded sadly, taking another sip of his tea. He felt guilty that he had immediately thought of the Weasleys even before Remus, but he chalked it up to his subconscious knowing better than to consider the werewolf. It was unfair, it really was. If the laws were different, Harry would definitely have gone to Remus above all the others, including the Weasleys.

"Yeah, I wish I could ask Remus, but I know the Ministry would never let him adopt me. I guess I'll need some time to really think about it. Maybe I could talk to Ron and Ginny, try to patch things up and then talk to the Weasleys..." Harry trailed off, more talking to himself than the Headmaster. He distractedly finished his biscuit and finished his cup of tea, grateful that Dumbledore was letting him ramble and organize his confused thoughts. He really wanted to go see Draco.

Harry's head snapped up as he sat his empty tea cup on Dumbledore's desk, meeting Dumbledore's twinkling eyes with a smile. "I'll let you know when I've made up my mind. Thank you, sir, for finding another way to help protect me."

Dumbledore nodded once, his soft smile genuine and comforting. "It was my pleasure, Harry. I have failed to protect you in the past, and I am determined to make up for my mistakes. Do not rush this decision; take as much time as you need to think it over. Good evening."

"Goodnight, Professor."

S~S~S~S

Draco was levitating his pillow and directing it to float across the room, summoning it back to him as he let it drop to the bed opposite his. He chuckled as he made the pillow do a kind of complicated flip in the air as he summoned it to himself. Being able to do magic was exciting and liberating, and Harry had been right; it got easier the more he learned.

"Having fun?"

Draco jumped and yelped, his pillow flopping to the floor as his concentration was broken by Harry's amused voice. He smiled even as he clutched his chest, his heart rate slowing after his scare.

"Merlin, Harry; you nearly gave me a heart attack. I was having fun until you scared me half to death," Draco pouted, summoning his pillow back to him and placing it back with the large pile already behind him.

Harry chuckled as he walked over and squeezed himself onto the bed beside Draco, forcing the blonde to scoot over to make room for him. He smiled as Draco automatically leaned against him, laying his head on Harry's shoulder.

"Sorry I left earlier; Dumbledore had some important news to share with me."

Draco shifted so that he was looking up at Harry, one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised. "Oh, and what important news is this, hmm?"

Harry smirked, reaching over to brush a lock of icy blonde hair out of the Slytherin's eyes. He liked looking into Draco's steely eyes without his hair blocking his view. Harry explained the new wards that Dumbledore had discovered, and the requirements that had to be met in order to use the wards. He had already told Draco about his mother's blood protection that had warded him at his aunt and uncle's before. He had lied and told him he had been kicked out of the house, however; he had no desire to tell Draco what had really happened.

"So, someone just needs to adopt you and enter into a bond with you and you can use this new protection?" Draco asked as he distractedly carded his hands through Harry's messy hair, making it stick up even more than it usually did.

Harry's eyes had drifted shut as Draco played with his hair, lulling him into such a lazy, relaxed state that he was very near asleep when Draco finally spoke. "Essentially, yes. As easy as that sounds though, I still have to decide who I want to ask, and then ask them. I of course thought of the Weasleys, but with Ron and Ginny hating me like they do, I'm thinking that's not such a good idea after all. Remus can't do it because it's illegal for him to adopt, or I would definitely have asked him. The only other person I'd know to ask is Snape, and I somehow don't think that would go over well."

"Why not? He's letting you live with him, and he's already vowed to protect you anyways. In fact, I think he's a much better choice than Remus or the Weasleys," said Draco in a matter of fact voice that set Harry's skin on edge. _If only it were that simple_, he mused.

"Yes, Snape has vowed to protect me and is letting me live with him in his quarters, but you're forgetting about the bonding part. He'd have to willingly bond with me, accepting me as a real part of his family. As helpful and great as he's been, even Snape has his limits," Harry said, not realizing how bitter he sounded until Draco gave him a reproving look.

"I think you underestimate him, Harry. It may have started out as an obligatory thing when he made the vow with Dumbledore, but it's obvious that he's grown to care for you at least a little bit. Otherwise, he'd still treat you like crap like he used to do."

Harry paused in his retort as he stared down at Draco, his eyes going wide at the exact same time as the Slytherin's. "You're remembering stuff, aren't you? I never told you about how Snape used to treat me!" Harry said excitedly, pulling the blonde close in a celebratory hug.

Draco clung on to Harry tightly as more memories slammed into him with the force of a brick wall. He squeezed his eyes closed as the new information swirled around in his mind, making him feel dizzy and faint. "Bloody hell, that was not a pleasant feeling..." he mumbled, pulling away from Harry slightly with a grimace on his face.

Harry felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. What had Draco remembered? Would he suddenly turn on Harry, angry at being lied to about their past rivalry? He felt himself panicking even as Draco shook his head slightly and looked back up at Harry.

"Something tells me we weren't this close before the accident..." Draco whispered, making Harry's heart drop down to his toes.

"Er...Well, not exactly. I mean, in previous years we were never really friends, but near the time of the accident we had begun to get along quite well actually. Please don't be angry..." Harry pleaded, grasping one of Draco's hands in his own. He had feared this was coming, and yet he was nowhere near prepared for the inevitable rejection he would now have to face.

Draco smiled sadly at Harry, leaning forward so that their lips nearly touched. "I'm not angry, just a little confused, but I trust you." He leaned forward the remaining distance and pressed his lips gently to Harry's.

Harry gasped, leaving his lips parted slightly. Should he kiss back, or let Draco decide if this was what he really wanted? He knew getting too involved with the Slytherin in his current state could prove to be a damning mistake once his full memory returned, but he had been powerless to stop the rampaging feelings that they both shared for each other. The decision was taken out of his hands as Draco grasped the back of his head and pulled him closer, eliciting a soft moan from his throat as the kiss deepened.

Someone standing not too far away cleared their throat, making both boys jump as they pulled away from each other. Harry blushed deeply as he spotted Snape over Draco's shoulder. The man was giving him an incredulous look, even as Remus tried to hide his delighted smile beside the Potions Master.

"If we could please refrain from such public displays, I would really appreciate it," Severus snapped, more out of worry than irritation, though he would never admit that to anyone. There was no question now; the boys were involved, and Severus couldn't help but feel that he had somehow helped them along.

"The Headmaster sent me to find you. He seemed to be under the impression that you wanted to ask me something, though he refused to clue me in as to what. Clearly you were either distracted, or had no intentions of asking me anything."

Harry bit his lip as Draco shifted so that he sat beside Harry once more, instead of practically in his lap as he had been before. Leave it to meddlesome old Dumbledore to force him into this uncomfortable situation.

"Er...well – um, Professor Dumbledore told me about a new ward he discovered. It's an ancient Gaelic ward, but he said it could offer me protection that would be as strong or stronger than my mother's blood sacrifice had been, but there are some rather pressing requirements in order to use this ward," Harry explained, feeling like he was leading himself into a trap without any means of stopping it from happening.

Severus' eyebrows rose nearly into his hairline, his arms crossed tight over his chest. Why had Dumbledore not told him about this immediately? Did he not have a right to know about these things while protecting the Gryffindor as he was?

"And these 'rather pressing requirements' are...?"

"I have to be adopted, and whoever becomes my guardian has to enter into a special bond with me, welcoming me officially into their family. Only then can the wards be put into effect."

Severus stiffened quite noticeably, even as Remus gently rested a hand in the middle of his back in a comforting gesture. Adoption? Vowing to protect the boy was one thing, but adopting him and entering into such an important bond? What was Dumbledore playing at, springing this on him in the form of a sheepish and embarrassed looking Harry.

"Something tells me you did not, in fact, intend to ask _me_," said Severus, though it ended up sounding like a question, even though he had not granted that question permission to leave his lips. Damn that old man and his meddling!

Harry blushed again, averting his gaze so that he was staring intently at the spindly table to the left of Snape instead of directly at the Potions Professor. "Well, I admit that I immediately thought of the Weasleys, and then after remembering that Ron and Ginny hate me, my mind went to Remus. It's illegal for werewolves to adopt children though, so that can't work either. So, er...I thought of you, instead."

Severus sniffed, his jaw tightening slightly. He would not allow Harry's choices to hurt him. He already had too many problems of his own to deal with; he didn't need an adoptive son on top of it all, or so he let himself think as a means to distract the slight twinge of betrayal he felt. "As a last resort, naturally."

Harry frowned, catching the bitterness in Snape's voice that had been in his own when discussing things with Draco only minutes ago. Could he be mistaken, or was Snape actually _hurt_ that Harry had left him as his third choice? "With all due respect, sir, I was fairly certain you'd say no right away."

When no response was forthcoming, Harry decided if he was in for an inch, he was in for a mile. "I haven't made any decisions yet. I'd still like to talk to the Weasleys and ask what they think before I make up my mind, but I'm still considering you just as much as the Weasleys. It would actually be a lot simpler if I chose you, considering the vow you've taken, but I need some time to just think," Harry said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. He had not intended to offend the Potions Master, but maybe Draco was right; he'd underestimated Snape's feelings towards him, and now he was feeling guilty for thinking of the man who had been protecting and housing him for months as a last resort.

"Very well, take as much time as you need. This is not something to enter into lightly, so be absolutely sure you're positive about whomever you choose. I can arrange for Molly and Arthur to come and speak to you if you'd prefer that over sending owls back and forth." Severus felt a twinge of jealously run up his spine, hating that he was allowing these feelings any room at all. He would assist Harry in making the best choice possible; he would not be biased by his growing affection for the boy he once loathed.

Harry felt his guilt reach new heights as Snape offered to help him talk to the Weasleys about the warding. He almost considered giving up and just asking Snape then and there, but considered Snape's words more and decided he'd explore all his options first. "Thank you, Professor. I'd really appreciate being able to talk to them in person; this is too important for owl post, I think."

Severus nodded his agreement, feeling slightly annoyed as Remus brushed a hand gently across his back. Somehow, the werewolf always knew when Severus was putting up a front, and it irked the Potions Master to know that he had not been as successful at hiding his emotions as he thought. "I shall contact them tonight and invite them over for dinner tomorrow night. I think, perhaps, that you have some work you should be doing instead of pawing my godson, no?" Severus asked, smirking at the utter embarrassment on both boys' faces as Remus chuckled beside him.

"Uh, yeah, I do need to finish up my Charms essay. Maybe I'll go find Hermione and see if she's done hers yet; we can do it together." Harry stood up and grabbed his bag before turning back to Draco, who was pouting slightly at being left in the infirmary while Harry got to go off and do his homework in the library. Not that writing an essay about counter-charms and jinxes was that entertaining.

"I'll be back after classes tomorrow, promise. I won't be able to eat with you, but I'll drop by for a bit. Goodnight." Ignoring the burning stare of Snape and the slight panic he felt in his gut, Harry leaned over and kissed Draco firmly on the lips, lingering as Draco cupped his cheek and kissed him back.

"Goodnight, Harry. See you tomorrow," Draco whispered after breaking the kiss. He looked defiantly over at Snape, expecting to see disapproval written all over his expression. The Potions Master merely rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically, earning another chuckle from Remus.

"Boys..."

"Men..." Harry said with a cheeky grin as he looked pointedly at how close the Potions and Defence Professors were standing. He chuckled as he side-stepped Severus' attempt to cuff him on the back of the head.

"Insufferable little brat..." Severus mumbled as he left the infirmary with Remus after biding his godson a good night.

Remus smiled and gently laced his fingers with Severus' own, as the corridors were abandoned this close to curfew. "You wouldn't have him any other way, Severus."

Severus gave another dramatic sigh as he gently squeezed Remus' hand in reassurance; reassurance for who – he had no idea. "It's sad, but true. Too true..."

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**A/N:** So, some rather large plot developments in this one! PLEASE review and let me know what you think of it!


	22. Family?

**A/N: **Hey there everyone! I'm very sorry it's been so long since my last post, but I've been going through some hard stuff this month. My fiancé broke things off with me, and I've been struggling a bit with coping, but I'm doing ok now. It's time to move on! So, here's another chapter for your reading pleasure!

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REVISED!**

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**Ch 22.  
Family?**

After seeking Hermione out, in the library of course, Harry explained the wards to her, and the requirements to use the wards.

"Well obviously the Weasleys would be the best option. They already consider you a part of their family, and I know Molly would have adopted you straight away if Dumbledore had let her. They'll have no problem adopting you and agreeing to the bonding."

Harry sighed as he scratched out a sentence on his essay for the third time, highly distracted by the thoughts swirling around in his head. He should have known Hermione would have come to the same conclusion as he did. "You're forgetting one thing, Hermione; Ron and Ginny hate me. I don't want to cause more problems in their family by trying to insinuate myself into their lives when, clearly, they want nothing to do with me anymore."

"Oh, Harry...Ron doesn't _hate_ you, he's just upset and extremely stubborn, not to mention thick-headed. He can't get over his prejudices, no matter how much anybody tries to convince him that Professor Snape and Draco aren't evil reincarnate. Ginny doesn't hate you either; she's just hurt because she thinks you've chosen Draco over her. She still has feelings for you, you know," Hermione explained, even as she scribbled away without pause on her own Charms essay. Her skills for multitasking were definitely enviable.

Harry groaned, pushing his parchment away as he gave up his essay as a bad job. He was simply too distracted for homework right now. "Please don't remind me, Hermione. I've been trying to avoid all thought of her fancying me, thanks."

Hermione frowned at his abandoned essay before pulling it towards herself and making marks and corrections on the little portion that he had managed to scribble out. "Besides, you know Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would still adopt you, even if Ron and Ginny need an attitude adjustment. Remember the owl Mrs. Weasley sent you after Ron broke your jaw?"

"But that isn't fair to them, 'Mione. As stubborn and stupid as they've been so far this year, it wouldn't be right to push myself into the middle of things. I know better than to stick myself where I'm not wanted."

"Harry..."

"No, Hermione. You're not going to change my mind on this. I'm still going to talk to Weasleys of course, but until I know Ron and Ginny would be ok with it, I'm not going to ask to be a part of their family," Harry said firmly, accepting the parchment that Hermione was handing back to him.

Hermione was giving him a calculating look, making Harry feel like a particularly challenging arithmancy problem. Her frown did not change as she drummed her finger thoughtfully on the table. "If you've already made up your mind, Harry, why are you getting Mrs. Weasley's hopes up, just to shoot them down again?"

"I'm not; I'm just making sure I explore all my options before I make up my mind. This is a really important decision; I don't want to mess things up," said Harry, feeling irritated by Hermione's accusation and the corrections to his Charms essay. "I did say that jinxes and counter-curses are two separate things!"

"Stop changing the subject, Harry. You're going to ask Professor Snape, aren't you?" Hermione asked, her calculating gaze back with a vengeance.

Harry dropped his eyes back to his essay, feeling that familiar swirl of guilt at remembering that Snape had been his last resort. Even Hermione knew to consider Snape as a viable option. "I'm thinking about it, yeah. But like I said, I want to consider all of my options first before making a final decision."

To Harry's surprise, Hermione actually smiled. "Harry, did you realize that you limited yourself to the Weasleys and Snape right away?"

Bemused, Harry nodded, wondering what on earth his best friend was playing at. "Well, yeah. I mean, I thought of Remus too, but he's out of the question because of the stupid regulations on werewolves. Who else would I possibly ask, Hermione?"

"What about some of the other Order members like Kingsley or Emmeline? Hell, what about Tonks?"

Harry burst out laughing, making Hermione jump nearly a foot in the air before slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his guffaws as a few studying students glared at him for disrupting the quiet atmosphere. He wiped away his tears of mirth as he got his laughter under control, sending an apologetic look to a shaken Hermione.

"Sorry, but suggesting that _Tonks_ adopt me? Hermione, until very recently, I had some stupid crush on her, and now you're suggesting I ask her to be a pseudo-mother?" Harry snickered into his cupped hands, unable to stop the flow of amusement.

Hermione's expression was a mix between indignant and shocked. "You fancied Tonks? Well, why did you _stop_ fancying Tonks, then?" Hermione asked in a bewildered whisper.

Harry blushed, not realizing beforehand that he had essentially just outted himself to his best friend. "Er...well...I, uh, kind of have a, uh..." Harry muttered the last word incoherently, hoping Hermione would simply catch on and not question who exactly he was with. Fat chance of that, however.

"You have a _what_? Harry, you're dating someone and you never even told me? Well go on, then; who is it?" Hermione asked, her voice rising a little more than she intended, as she nearly forgot they were in the library. She blushed as she tried to ignore the curious stares and glares that were directed at her now.

Harry blushed furiously as he tried to ignore Hermione's question altogether. He jumped as she snatched his essay right out of his hand and glared pointedly at him. He heaved a great sigh and prepared himself for the worst. On second thought, Harry decided this was a discussion better finished outside of the library, in case Hermione decided to start shrieking at the top of her lungs. She'd never forgive him if he got her banned from the library.

"Harry, quit avoiding the question and answer me!" Hermione snapped as they walked towards the Gryffindor common room by instinct.

"I'm not avoiding anything, Hermione. I just wanted to make sure we didn't get banned from the library in case your reaction wasn't a good one," Harry explained as they approached the portrait hole. "I don't know the password anymore."

"Dizzying dandelions," Hermione snapped at the Fat Lady, who gave her a reproachful look before dutifully swinging forward to allow them entry. "Why would my reaction be so bad as to get us banned from the library, Harry? Who on earth are you dating?"

Harry walked over to a secluded corner of the common room, avoiding the whispering and pointing that broke out upon his entrance to the common room he hadn't been in since school had started. He settled himself into in armchair, waiting for Hermione to do the same. "Well, I'm not sure if we're technically dating, because neither one of us asked the other out. It feels like dating, and we've actually kissed and stuff. In fact our first kiss was today..." Harry rambled, heightening Hermione's curiosity to the point of her pulling her wand and aiming it square in his face.

"Tell me now, Harry, or I swear I'll hex your lips together so you never snog again."

Harry's eyes went wide even as he tried to shield his lips with his hand. "Merlin, Hermione, calm down! I was going to tell you. It's...um, well, not who you'd expect," Harry said, trying to find a way to break it to her that not only was he dating someone, but he was dating another boy, and said boy was Draco bloody Malfoy. He received only a glare and a sharp jabbing movement with her wand.

"I'm dating a guy, Hermione."

That shut her up, alright. Hermione dropped her wand, even as he jaw fell open in shock. She snapped it closed with an audible clack as she hastily picked up her wand, no longer brandishing it threateningly at Harry. "Well...er, you were right, not what I expected at all. But who...?"A look of sudden comprehension spread across her face. "You're dating Draco, aren't you?"

Harry sighed heavily, extremely glad his best friend was so bloody brilliant. "Yes; well – I think. We're involved, at least. It's kind of complicated, what with him not really knowing exactly who I am. He could remember at any time, though, and who's to say he won't suddenly hate me because of something he remembered?"

Hermione looked thoughtful, her lips pursed in that Hermione-ish way that Harry had come to associate with her problem-solving. "Even if he gets his memories of hating you back, I don't think it will affect his feelings for you now. You see, often times with memory-loss patients, they consider their past memories a separate life to the one they lead after the memory-loss. So, Draco will know that he _used_ to hate you, but he also knows he doesn't hate you _now_."

Harry frowned, bemused by Hermione's wording, but catching the gist of it, or so he thought. "So Draco could remember our past rivalry, but because that was a part of his 'past life', he won't start hating me again?"

"Think of it as a clean slate, Harry. The past is the past, and Draco will learn that not everything he once believed is still true. I'm not guaranteeing anything, Harry, but I don't think Draco's feeling towards you will change as he gets his memories back."

Harry felt like a hippogriff had been lifted from his shoulders. He had not realized how utterly terrified he was of losing what he had with Draco until Hermione reassured him. "Thanks, Hermione. I was really worried that he'd start hating me again."

"Harry, how did this come about, exactly? He's only been awake for what, two and a half weeks?" Hermione asked, her brow creased in confusion.

"Well, it actually started while he was still in a coma. I used to sneak out every night and sit with him in the hospital wing. I would tell him everything, Hermione, stuff I never even told you. And even though he couldn't have responded even if he had wanted to, it felt like I finally had found someone who accepted me for who I was, and didn't question me at all. I know it sounds stupid because he was completely helpless, but it felt like he was the only one truly there for me."

Hermione had a desperately sad and slightly guilty look on her face, but Harry cut her off before she could apologize about not being a good enough friend, or admonish him for being so foolish.

"When I entered Draco's mind to pull him out of the coma, I talked to him. He hadn't lost his memory yet, and he told me that he had heard everything I told him, that he'd tried so hard to wake up for me. He told me he would have gone mad without me, and I realized that I would have gone made without him, too. Even though he's not exactly the same person as he was before, he's still the Draco that I talked to in his mind. Like you said; the past is the past."

Harry fell back into the squishy armchair as he received an armful of teary Hermione, clinging onto him in a tight hug. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and patted her gently on the back, not quite sure why she had become so upset.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry! I should have been there for you more instead of trying to bridge the gap between you and Ron. Thank goodness Draco was there for you. I'll never question you or doubt you again, I swear," Hermione sobbed into his shoulder, causing the few people left in the common room to stare at the display.

Harry was acutely aware of the curious stares they were attracting, so he extracted himself from Hermione's tight embrace and instead sat her down beside him on the cramped armchair.

"Listen to me, Hermione. I didn't mean that I never wanted you to doubt or question me again; I doubt and question myself all the time. You wouldn't be Hermione if you weren't trying to change my mind about the stupid ideas I come up with. I only meant that sometimes, it felt good to be able to speak my mind without any worry of what Draco would say to me, or how he would react. Sometimes you're too quick to question me about things, but I understand it's just because you're worried. You're not a bad friend, Hermione; quite the opposite, in fact."

Hermione was smiling as she hiccupped through the tears still streaming down her cheeks. She was startled into laughter as Harry was the one to attack her in a tight hug this time. "I'll try to think more before I question you from now on. You're right; I just get so worried that I sometimes don't stop to think first."

"You, not stopping to think? Impossible!" Harry teased, using the sleeve of his robes to dry her tears.

Hermione giggled, swatting Harry on the arm playfully. "Oh – quiet, you! Hey, it's after curfew; are you going to get in trouble with Professor Snape?"

Harry checked his watch and groaned, grabbing his bag as he stood up. "I better go now before he comes looking for me," said Harry, already dreading the lecture he knew he was going to get from the Potions Professor.

"I'll walk you down; I _am_ a Prefect, after all," Hermione said as she wiped away the last of her tears and stood to walk with Harry, arm in arm, out of the common room.

"You do know there are going to be wild rumours about the two of us now after that whole display in there, right?" Harry asked as they headed down a flight of stairs.

Hermione grinned mischievously, pulling Harry confidently down the stairs, still arm in arm with him. "Oh, I know. At least this way, it will take everyone longer to find out about you and Draco because they'll be too busy gossiping about us."

"Oh, you're brilliant, Hermione!" Harry said with a wide grin, not having thought of that at all. He wasn't exactly worried about word getting out, but the longer it was kept quiet, the longer his life would remain that much easier. "I love you, you know that?"

"Of course you love me; you'd be clueless without me."

They both laughed as they continued on their journey down to the dungeons, feeling much more light-hearted now than they had at the beginning of the evening. Not even the imminent danger of Snape's death glare and scathing remarks could take away Harry's good mood.

S~S~S~S

The next day was one of the longest of Harry's life. His stomach was in knots over what he was supposed to say to the Weasleys. As Hermione had pointed out before, Harry had essentially already made up his mind not to ask the Weasleys, but he didn't want to leave that option unexplored, either. Maybe there was a way to fix things between himself, Ron and Ginny. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking trying to cover for his mixed emotions.

As the bell rang for the end of classes, Harry made his way quickly out of the Charms classroom and up to the infirmary so that he could spend as much time as possible with Draco before the Weasleys arrived for dinner. He had promised Snape he'd go home an hour before so that he could change and clean up a bit, even though he knew Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't care one bit about how he looked clothes-wise; as long as he looked happy and healthy.

"Nervous?" Draco asked as Harry followed along with their usual routine; curling up together on Draco's small hospital bed to talk.

Harry sighed and nodded, appreciating Draco's comforting weight even more as the Slytherin practically crawled into his lap like a house cat. "A little, but I'll be alright. Severus will be there, and it's not like I haven't talked to the Weasleys a million times before."

"Well, yes, but it's not every day that you discuss becoming one of their children, now is it?" Draco drawled, his smirk making the butterflies in Harry's stomach burst into flames.

"You'd be surprised how many times that actually has come up in conversation with the Weasleys. It's not that I'm worried about, though. I haven't made up my mind still, and I'd hate to get them all worked up about it, then decide not to ask them. I'd feel like I was betraying them, or disappointing them," Harry explained, running a hand through Draco's hair slowly. He loved letting his fingers trail through the blonde tresses, especially when Draco leaned into the touch like a cat being pet.

"Well, just make sure you explain the entire situation, including who else you've considered and why, and let them know you need some time to make up your mind about things. I'm sure they'll understand if you don't choose them. All they want is for you to be safe and happy," said Draco, smiling as he let his eyes drift closed, getting lost in the sensation of Harry's hands carding through his hair.

Harry chuckled, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on the blonde's lips while his eyes were closed. He was greeted by slightly surprised steely grey eyes flashing open as he pulled away from the kiss. He laughed against Draco's lips as the Slytherin pulled him down for another, longer kiss.

"I will never get tired of kissing you," Draco whispered, smiling against Harry's lips as they were pressed against his once more.

"Good, because I'll never stop kissing you," replied Harry, feeling Draco's chest rumble in a laugh even as he cut the sound off using his mouth once more.

All too soon, six o'clock rolled around, and Harry had to sadly abandon Draco's lips so that he could get ready to meet with the Weasleys. He laughed as Draco latched onto him, kissing him deeply before letting him pull away.

"I'll come back after dinner if I have time before curfew. If not, I'll see you tomorrow after classes, ok?"

Draco pouted, but nodded, pulling Harry close for one more kiss before pushing him towards the exit. "Go on, go get pretty for the Weasleys."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco before leaving the infirmary to do just that. As he entered the dungeon quarters he shared with Snape, he noticed that the fire was lit for once, and that Snape had either asked a house elf to help tidy up, or else had done it himself. Harry jumped as Snape's voice sounded from the doorway behind him.

"I've set out some clothes for you in your room. Take a shower first, and for Merlin's sake, do something about that hair of yours."

Harry scowled, defensively running a hand through his dishevelled hair and making it stick out worse. "I can pick out my own clothes, thanks, and there's nothing I can do to my hair. It has a mind of its own; it'll do whatever it wants to do."

Severus rolled his eyes as he swept fully into the room, letting his eyes roam around to make sure the elves had cleaned his quarters properly. "The clothes I picked out for you, I picked out at a clothing shop, not your limited supply of clothing you bought this summer. Do not mock the outfit before you've even seen it. As for your hair, well, I do believe fully that it has a mind of its own, but it was worth a try, I guess."

Harry felt that twinge of guilt grow into a full force jolt at the thought of Snape buying him clothes especially for this dinner. He was a fool for not seeing it before; Snape really did care, even if it was usually in an off-handed, unobtrusive way. "Er, well...Thanks, I guess. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Do not take a half hour long shower, either, Harry!" Severus called from the sitting room as Harry disappeared into his bathroom to wash up.

Merlin, he already sounded like he was Harry's father, not to mention acted like it, too. Buying the boy clothes, making sure he looked decent for the company arriving soon, and admonishing him for the length of his shower time? It was absurd and yet, Severus knew he would learn to miss it if Harry did decide to ask the Weasleys to adopt him, and not himself. What was he even thinking; _if_ Harry decided? It was surely a question of _when_ and not _if_, right? He couldn't believe he was admitting it, even if it was only to himself and strictly only in his head, but he was jealous of the Weasleys for their roles in Harry's life. Never in a million years would Severus Snape have ever thought he would long to be Harry Potter's father.

He was snapped out of his lengthy reverie as Harry entered to sitting room once more wearing the simple outfit that Severus had chosen for him. A pair of black slacks with a simple green silk button down shirt that matched his eyes perfectly; and it was all in the correct sizes, for once.

"Thank you, Severus; I really like the outfit. And the other clothes you snuck into my wardrobe. You didn't need to spend all that money on me, though."

Severus smirked as he looked over Harry proudly. _Proudly?_ Surely, the world must be coming to an end. "You caught me. I was tired of seeing you in the same two outfits over and over again. I figured it was a very safe investment; it was either I buy you better clothes, or you go naked."

"The clothes it is, then!" Harry chuckled. He whirled around as the floo roared into life, the emerald green flames admitting first Arthur Weasley, and then his wife Molly, who he caught from tripping over the edge of the hearth in a graceful and quick move.

"Oh, I am such a klutz sometimes. Nearly as bad as Tonks...Harry, dear! My, my; you look very sharp today!" Molly beamed, dragging Harry into a tight hug as soon as she had regained her footing properly.

"Ah, so it's true; teenage boys _can_ clean up quite nicely," Arthur said with a warm smile as he gave Harry a tight hug as well.

Molly moved to greet Snape, looking even smaller than usual standing next to the notoriously tall man in draping, billowing robes. "Good evening, Severus. It's nice to see you again."

Severus had no doubt that Molly was not exactly thrilled to see him again, but his decorum stopped him from commenting on that fact. "The pleasure is mine, Molly. Please, everyone take a seat. Dinner should be arriving shortly."

Harry sat down in one armchair, leaving Snape's favourite one for the Potions Master. He shifted nervously as Molly and Arthur sat on the sofa together, their kind smiles and gentle looks of adoration directed towards Harry. It wasn't hero worship like most of Harry's fan base, but the doe-eyed looks and obvious affection felt overwhelming compared to how he had been raised. He glanced quickly over at Snape, who gave him a very quick wink and almost imperceptible nod. He sighed in slight relief.

"So, Severus was kind enough to extend an invitation to dinner, but he said it was strictly up to you to inform us of what this was all about. Is everything alright, Harry? Ron and Ginny aren't causing you any trouble again, are they?"

Harry shook his head quickly, extremely glad when Snape conjured a tea service and passed everyone cups. It served as a quick distraction to give him a few seconds to think about how he should bring the topic up.

"No, Ron and Ginny haven't so much as glanced at me in a week. I'm pretty sure your last howler has dissuaded them both from causing anymore ruckus. You need not worry about them harassing me; I can handle them," Harry said as he stirred a few cubes of sugar into his steaming cup. He looked up as he realized the Weasleys were gaping at him, both of their cups of tea forgotten.

"What?"

Severus had a very smug look on his face, which he was unsuccessfully trying to hide behind his own tea cup. He had expected this and yet, it felt much more satisfying seeing it happen. His influence on Harry was finally starting to show, and the Weasleys were clearly shocked to the core.

Molly was the first to regain her composure, taking a long sip of tea before gently elbowing Arthur to get him to stop staring at Harry. "Sorry, dear, it's just...Well, you sound so mature, Harry. It's so obvious that you've had to grow up much faster than is proper for a sixteen-year-old boy. It's humbling and saddening all at the same time."

Harry blushed, taking an extra large gulp of tea and scalding his tongue as a way of trying to hide his increased discomfort. He didn't want their sympathy, and he was sure that as much as the Weasleys cared for Harry, a lot of it had to do with feeling sorry for him. He knew that Snape had no sympathy to spare on him, and would never bother wasting his time feeling sorry for Harry. It was one of the things he appreciated most about Snape.

"I just do what's needed to keep myself alive, Mrs. Weasley. If I had to grow up a little faster than my peers, well, it was only necessary."

"Good Merlin, Harry! That isn't any way to look at life, son. You shouldn't have to worry about keeping yourself alive; you should just live," Arthur said passionately, a determined look on his face. He was clearly outraged with Harry's attitude about life.

There was a long silence, broken by the scrapping of Harry's empty tea cup being placed on the coffee table. "Please don't call me that," Harry whispered, gaining a very sad look from Molly and a blush from Arthur. He glanced at Snape and was surprised to find a reproving frown on the man's face.

"I really wish it was as simple as 'just living', but what you don't understand is that I've never been allowed to 'just live'. The Dursleys treated me like a lowly house elf, my life has been followed and documented by the media since I became aware of the Wizarding world, and Voldemort has been damn determined not to let me live a normal life. I will not delude myself into thinking that I can ever 'just live'; not until Voldemort is dead and gone. I'd appreciate if everyone else would do me the courtesy of not pretending everything is normal and fine, because it isn't. If you'll excuse me..."

Harry stood up quickly and made his way out of the dungeon quarters, feeling the tears well up behind his eyes. He didn't want to have to explain what had happened to Draco, so he decided it would be better if he just spent some time alone instead.

Severus closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing himself not to go tearing after Harry and screaming at him for obviously offending and hurting the Weasleys. He let out a deep sigh as he opened his eyes again, spotting both Arthur and Molly looking at him expectantly. Of course, it would be his job to explain this all now. From Harry's request to Arthur to not call him 'son', Severus thought it was safe to say that Harry had made the decision not to ask the Weasleys to adopt him. However, the Weasleys deserved to know why exactly they had been brought to Hogwarts to be insulted and shocked by their favourite pseudo-son.

"I'll not try to apologize for the boy; he can do that himself at a more appropriate time. However, I guess it would only be fair to explain to you both why I invited you here to begin with. Albus has been searching for months for a new kind of protection for Harry. He finally made a discovery; an ancient type of Gaelic warding. There are a few requirements that must be met in order to use this warding, however. Harry would need to be adopted, and the adoptive parent or parents would have to willingly enter into a bond, welcoming Harry as a real part of their family. Understandably, Harry considered the both of you as a possible option, but he also thought of a few others. He decided to talk to everyone he considered an option, get their opinions, then work to make a decision about who he should ask to do this for him." Severus paused as he noticed the mixed expressions on the Weasleys' faces.

Molly had tears shining in her eyes, yet she still had that deeply sad look on her face. Arthur looked slightly bewildered and honoured at the same time at being considered a possible father figure for Harry. They both exchanged a glance, then looked back at Severus.

"Who else is Harry considering, Severus?" Molly asked, a knowing look in her eyes as she narrowed them at the Potions Master. Never let it be said that Molly Weasley was anything other than a highly intelligent woman, even if Severus did consider her mad for willingly having seven children.

"Well he of course thought of Remus, but with the Werewolf Regulation laws passed last year, the Ministry would never let him adopt a child. His only other option, or at least the only other one he told me about, was myself. He immediately assumed I would turn him down, however, but I've since set him straight about making such assumptions. His first choice was the both of you, but perhaps he has had a change of heart," said Severus, frowning as he remembered Harry's expression when he discovered his new wardrobe. Perhaps he had been subconsciously trying to win the boy over, but his intentions had been purely innocent.

Molly smiled warmly at Severus, scooting forward so that she was sitting on the very edge of the couch. "Do not think I don't know what you are thinking, Severus. Harry is obviously having some trouble coming to terms with the decision he has already made, but is unwilling to admit it to himself. As much as you will probably wish to deny it, I know you've grown to care for him."

"I do not wish to deny it necessarily, but I will not make assumptions about Harry, either. He will make his decision based on what he thinks would be right, and he'll do it in his own time. I offered to assist him in exploring all of his options, and that is why I invited you to dinner tonight. Not to be rude, but I think perhaps I should go look for Harry and make sure that he's alright. You're welcome to stay if you'd like. If not, my floo is open to you." Severus stood up, setting his tea cup aside and grabbing his cloak. He had a feeling Harry might have taken a detour outside to think.

Molly and Arthur shared a look before standing up themselves. "Please let Harry know we're fully willing to discuss this with him when he's ready. Thank you, Severus."

Severus nodded succinctly before sweeping out of his quarters, his robes billowing as ever. His first thought was to look for Harry in the infirmary first, but he had a feeling Harry had intended to get some time alone to think. As much as Severus did not wish to force Harry's hand, he knew someone needed to talk with the boy about his abysmal attitude and his obvious distress over the whole situation. Heading out of the front doors of the castle, Severus spotted the form of a short-statured, dark haired teen sitting under the beech tree by the lake.

The sky still had an orange and red glow to it as the last remnants of sunset faded off into darkness, the quarter moon peaking out high in the sky from behind a wisp of a cloud.

"It's awfully chilly out here for a session of inner reflection, don't you think?"

Harry jumped slightly and looked up at Snape, who was hovering over him, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look mad, but then again he didn't exactly look cheerful, either.

"A bit, but I needed to get out of castle for a little while. I was starting to feel a bit trapped," Harry answered, turning back to stare out over the lake, his knees drawn up to his chest.

Severus somehow managed to fold his large frame down in an elegant way, sitting down beside Harry, thoroughly shocking the boy. "You're not the only one, Harry. I often try to escape to the grounds when I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'll deny that till my dying breath if you dare to tell anyone."

Harry was startled into laughter, Snape's playful banter raising his determined bad mood very slightly. He took a deep breath, chancing a glance at the Potions Professor; his protector. It was time to be honest, to come clean about his swirling emotions concerning the idea of Snape adopting him. Sometimes, the truth really can set you free.

"I probably would have thought of asking you first even before the Weasleys if I had any idea that you wouldn't turn me down immediately. Even after I told you about the wards, I was sure you would say no, even though I realized that I had somehow hurt your feelings. I didn't get it; I still don't, really, but I think I may have underestimated you.

"You've taken care of me and protected me, and somehow I thought it was just because of the vow, but I realized that if you were only doing it to fulfil the vow, you would still hate me. A person who is obligated to protect someone would do it grudgingly, and certainly you did, at first. But you wouldn't make sure I was doing my homework, or tell me I take too long of showers, or buy me all new clothes because you can't stand to see me in that rubbish I wore before if you didn't care, at least a little bit."

Harry turned so that he was facing Snape, his knees still pulled firmly up to his chest. This was the hardest part – the part where he left himself open, vulnerable. This is where he trusted Snape more than he ever had before. He glanced up at last and met the deep, dark eyes of his Professor. They seemed a little brighter than usual, which nearly shocked Harry into silence.

"I want to ask you not because you're a last resort, but because I know you'll do everything in your power to protect me and take care of me, and not just because you've taken a vow to do so. I'm asking you to adopt me because I think you need me as much as I need you, and it's nice to feel needed." Harry practically held his breath, wanting to turn away and squeeze his eyes closed as he waited for Snape's answer. Surely it would be easier to take if he didn't have to look the man in the eye when he said –

"Ok, I'll do it. You're perfectly right, Harry; it is nice to feel needed," said Severus, his voice a little more rough than he had intended. He couldn't keep the emotion out of his expression, and was hardly surprised when Harry launched himself at Severus, hugging him for all he was worth. He awkwardly let his arms drape around the Gryffindor, feeling foolish and strangely satisfied as he relaxed into the embrace, feeling his stomach do a flip as he realized Harry was crying on his shoulder.

"Come on inside; it's too cold to stay out here," Severus said as he pulled out of the embrace and helped Harry to his feet after standing up. He took off his cloak and wrapped it around Harry's shoulders, noticing that the boy had been shivering for a few minutes now. He instinctively reached out and brushed the black locks from Harry's eyes, smoothing the warm tears away with his thumbs as he looked into his charge's astonishingly green eyes.

"Not to worry, Harry; I would cry too if I were adopting me," Severus said with a smirk, which turned into a full-fledged smile as Harry doubled over in laughter, his tears of emotion turning into tears of mirth. They walked back up to the castle together as Harry finally regained the ability to function after laughing so hard he nearly fainted. If anyone had seen Severus with an arm draped around Harry's shoulders, well – it wouldn't be the first shock of the night. Nor would it be the last.

S~S~S~S

Expecting to find their dungeons quarters empty, both Severus and Harry reflexively pulled their wands as they entered the sitting room and saw someone sitting in what had been properly deemed as 'Severus' favourite armchair'.

"Remus, you gave us a start," Severus said on an exhale as he lowered his wand and slipped it back into his pocket, noticing that Harry did the same only after Severus did; strange, that.

Remus stood from the armchair and walked closer to Severus and Harry, and that's when Severus noticed the man did not look very well at all. "Are you alright?"

Remus had eyes only for Harry, however, as he moved forward the last few feet and gathered him into a tight hug, closing his eyes as Harry hugged him back.

"Professor Dumbledore told me about the warding and the requirements. I want you know that I would do anything to be able to do that for you, Harry. If it were possible at all, I would do it in less than a heartbeat. I'm so sorry," Remus whispered into Harry's hair as he leaned his cheek against the Gryffindor's mop of messy hair.

Harry pulled back from the hug, though he stayed sheltered in Remus' arms. "There's no need to apologize, Remus. It's not your fault that the Ministry are a bunch of morons. I'm glad you'd be so willing to do that for me, and I appreciate the sentiment, at least. But all's not lost." Harry turned towards Snape, who was looking both concerned and slightly bemused by the display and Harry's words.

"With Severus as my adoptive father, that would make you my sort of honorary father as well, wouldn't it?"

Remus whipped around so fast he nearly sent the boy flying, but his quick reflexes helped to steady Harry, even as he stared in shock at his lover. "Severus?"

Severus took a deep breath and nodded, again not surprised when he got an armful of tearful werewolf. He was much better acquainted with this type of hug, and easily wrapped his arms around Remus.

"Albus said that there was a chance, but I wasn't sure if you'd be ready for something like that. Thank you; if it can't be me, I'm glad it's you," said Remus, holding the Potions Master close as he felt a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders. He had been devastated to hear that Harry was in need and, because of what he was, he couldn't help.

Severus allowed the embrace to last a few more seconds before pulling away, feeling like he was naked in front of a crowd after all the emotion he had let show today.

"I want you to know that I am not doing this as a favour to anyone; not to Harry, nor Albus, or even you, Remus. I'm doing this because I want to, and because I owe it to Harry after everything I've put him through. Besides, you were more correct than I think you realize when you said I needed you as much as you needed me," said Severus, turning to speak to Harry once more, who looked a wreck after all the crying he'd done in such a short amount of time.

There was a long, not too uncomfortable silence before they all jumped nearly out of their skin as Dobby popped in with trays of food.

"Dinner is ready, sirs!"

"Bloody elf is a menace..."

Remus chuckled as the intensity seemed to fade away, leaving a comfortable sort of warmth in the room that had very little to do with actual temperature. He directed Dobby to place the trays on the coffee table before sitting Harry down and making sure he ate at least a little bit. He'd obviously had an emotionally exhausting day. He turned back to Severus, who was watching Harry eat his cheese and onion soup with a crease of worry between his dark eyes.

"I am doing the right thing, aren't I?" Severus asked barely above a whisper as Remus joined him on the sofa, placing a warm hand over one of his own chilled ones. He'd always appreciated how Remus' warmth always made up for his coldness; in body temperature and temperament.

Remus smiled, grasping Severus' hand and holding it tight. He looked over at Harry, who had seemingly fallen asleep in an awkward position in Severus' favourite armchair, wrapped in Severus too-large cloak, after finishing his soup. He looked so young when he slept that it was hard to believe there was less than a year until Harry would be of age, and a man himself.

"You've never done anything more right in your entire life, Severus."

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know your opinions! I'll try to get the next one out sooner!


	23. Tearful Revelations

**A/N:** Hello my lovely readers! I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed on this story so far. Some of you have stuck through from the very beginning, and I wouldn't be able to go on without you! For those readers who have stayed loyal from the start, but haven't reviewed yet, I thank you as well, and hope you'll give your opinions soon enough! This one is a little on the short side, but the next is the longest chapter yet, so it makes up for itself. My posting has almost caught up with my writing, so updates may be fewer and far between! Also, I'm going back to school starting in January, so my time to write will be cut down immensely. I'm going to try to write as much as possible these next two months before that happens. Thanks again, and enjoy!

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**Ch 23.  
Tearful Revelations**

It was a long walk up to the Headmaster's office the next morning for Harry. He had no idea how he was supposed to tell Dumbledore that, instead of picking the two people who had always welcomed him and treated him like one of their own sons, he had decided to pick the Potions Master who had treated him worse than dirt for the first five years he had known him.

Harry had begged and pleaded with Snape to come with him and help explain, but the Potions Professor had been adamant that Harry do it himself. He had a point, Harry admitted; he needed to practice explaining why he had chosen Snape in preparation for the adoption interview. Snape had explained to him the process through which magical adoptions occurred, and it didn't sound like it was going to be as easy as Harry first assumed. He'd been a bit bemused as to why Snape knew so much about magical adoptions, but he didn't push his luck by inquiring about it.

Taking a deep breath to steady his squirming stomach, Harry turned to the gargoyles flanking the Head's office. "Please?"

"Enter," came the answer after Harry lifted the phoenix shaped knocker and let it fall. He turned the ornate handle and entered the large office, spotting Fawkes' perch right away as the baby phoenix crooned at him.

"Fawkes must have burned recently," Harry said in a conversational tone as he took the seat in front of Dumbledore's large oak desk. He tried to avoid the man's piercing gaze by focusing on the tiny version of the magnificent bird.

"Ah, yes indeed. Fawkes has been through a bit of stress lately, I'm afraid. Most phoenixes deal with heavy levels of stress by burning. Life is so much simpler when you're an infant," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling as he ran a finger gently over the baby phoenix's soft downy feathers.

"I take it you are here to give me your decision on who you have decided to ask to adopt you?"

Harry gulped as he nodded, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from Fawkes and meeting Dumbledore's inquiring gaze. _Here we go_, he thought to himself. "Yes, sir, I've decided on who to ask. In fact, I've already asked and they've already answered. I just wanted to let you know who I've chosen. I reckon it won't be what you're expecting, but I believe it was the right decision."

Dumbledore simply nodded with a look of innocent curiosity on his wizened face. He twirled his wand and conjured a tea service, allowing Harry to stall by preparing a cup of the scalding liquid and waiting for it to cool before taking a generous sip.

"I've asked Professor Snape to adopt me, and he's agreed to do it," said Harry without further ado. He felt a sudden weight lift from his shoulders and the knots in his stomach loosen considerably. He blinked owlishly, however, when all he received from Dumbledore was a knowing smile and a few words of congratulations.

"I think that was a wise decision indeed, Harry. He's been informed of all the requirements, yes? I should like to start teaching yourself and Professor Snape the spell that will need to be done in order to activate the ward as soon as possible. Has the application been filed yet?"

Harry blanched, feeling the pressure starting to build once more. Dumbledore was obviously eager to get these wards in place; it made Harry wonder if he was in more danger now than ever before. Stupid thought, really; he knew he was pretty much screwed without the protection from his mother's blood sacrifice while living with the Dursleys – during the summer hols, at least. Surely, the sooner everything was set into motion and the spells cast, the better off everyone would be.

"Not yet, sir; I only asked Professor Snape yesterday. He said he was going to pick up the application this afternoon, though. He's probably filling it out as we speak."

"I wouldn't doubt it, Harry, I wouldn't doubt it..."

S~S~S~S

"Single, married, divorced, widowed – I guess single is my only option, then. They frown upon single parent adoptions, though," said Severus as he checked the box next to 'single' with his quill. He'd just gotten back from flooing over to the Department of Children Services and Adoptions to get an application for adopting Harry. Remus had met up with him for a bit of tea and was helping to fill out the application.

"They'll frown a lot more if you put down that you're dating a male werewolf, love," Remus pointed out before taking another sip of his tea and reading through a pamphlet about magical adoptions that Severus had picked up at the Ministry.

Severus read through the questions about criminal history with a dark frown on his face, fearing this part of the application process more than the interview itself. "Mmm, true; but that doesn't make it fair."

Remus refolded the pamphlet and set it back on the coffee table beside the tea service. He turned to look at Severus and noticed the troubled look on the man's face as he continued to read through the application and check boxes here and there.

"Well of course it isn't fair, Severus. With the new Regulations in place, being a werewolf is nearly as bad as being a Death Eater these days." Remus winced sharply, wishing he could take that comment back immediately at the dark scowl on his lover's face. "I'm sorry..."

With a deep sigh, Severus sat the application aside for the time being. Remus' timing could not have been worse, but he was determined not to take out his ire on the werewolf. "Don't be; I know what you meant. You're right, though; they'd be mental to let the adoption go through with my history."

"That's not what I said at all, Severus. Do not put words in my mouth like that. You've never been convicted of anything, and Albus has vouched for you since you turned your back on Voldemort so many years ago. Do you not think he'll vouch for you now when the caseworker undoubtedly asks about you? You don't give yourself enough credit; you're no more a Death Eater now than I am," Remus said firmly, reaching out and cupping Severus' cheeks in his hands, forcing the man to look him in the eyes so he would know he wasn't being dishonest at all.

Severus trusted his lover enough not to take the obvious offer to Legilimize him to search for honesty. His eyes fluttered shut as he tried to absorb some of the strength and confidence that Remus was pouring out to him, and was grateful when the werewolf captured his lips in a passionate, yet reassuring kiss.

They broke apart after a while, both desperate for air, as neither one of them had wanted to break the kiss early to breathe. Severus leaned his forehead gently against Remus', reaching a hand up to card through the man's graying locks. His warm amber eyes were flecked with gold, evidence of the approaching full moon. It sent a shiver down Severus' spine.

How was it that he was so lucky to have Remus there beside him, helping him through this and everything else he'd been through that summer? From being rescued by the man like some damsel in distress, to pushing him away and still getting a second chance – Severus had definitely taken his relationship for granted, but not anymore. It was time to come clean, to allow what he'd denied himself from the beginning; someone to love.

"I love you, Remus," Severus whispered, holding his breath as he waited for either a rejection or a declaration in return.

Remus gasped, quickly pulling away so that he could look Severus full in the face. He didn't detect any jest or reluctance, nor had he seen such an open display of emotion on the Potions Master's face before. A smile spread slowly across his face as he leaned forward and kissed his lover once more, trying to keep his emotions under control.

"I love you too," Remus whispered back as he pulled away from the kiss and smiled warmly at the man who was truly his lover now.

That, of course, was the exact moment that Harry walked into the dungeon quarters, his book bag slung over his shoulder and a stack of books held under one arm. He stopped in his tracks as he saw that he had obviously just interrupted some sort of tender moment between his prospective father and honorary father figures.

"Er, I'll just go start on my homework, then," he said awkwardly as he trouped down the hall to his bedroom and quickly ensconced himself at his desk, setting out the things he needed to finish up on a few essays set earlier in the week.

Harry couldn't help but feel a thrill of happiness, seeing Snape and Remus together like that, but he wasn't sure if the two Professors were ready to be open about their relationship in front of him. Maybe after the adoption went through and things got settled once more, they'd be willing to allow Harry to see into their relationship, but he wouldn't push them; Merlin knew he wasn't ready to go public with Draco yet, and he'd hate it if someone tried to force them to go public.

A soft knock on the door made Harry look up from his essay; the one he hadn't even started on yet. He smiled as Remus peeked his head in and gestured for the man to come in. "Hey Remus."

"Hello, Harry. Can I talk to you real quick?" the Defence Professor asked as he came fully into the room and closed the door behind him. He settled himself at the foot of Harry's bed and motioned for Harry to come sit beside him rather than across the room from him.

"Yeah, sure. Where's Severus?" Harry asked as he sat down on his bed, folding his legs underneath him and getting comfortable. He had a strong feeling this little chat was going to be about what Harry had walked in on, and Snape's absence made him think he wasn't quite comfortable with the entire situation just yet.

Remus sighed as he swept a lock of hair out of his eyes. It was clearly obvious that Harry had grown quite attached to the Potions Master. Well, they shared something else in common, then. "He's in the sitting room filling out the adoption application still."

Harry couldn't help the smile that traced his lips, or the sense of relief he felt at those words. He hadn't realized he was so afraid of Snape pulling out of the deal before then. "So he did go get the application, then?" Harry asked, sounding more earnest than he had intended.

"Of course he did, Harry. I've been helping him to fill it out for the past half hour or so. Did you think he wasn't serious about all of this?" Remus asked, a frown forming on his face. Severus had been apprehensive about Harry actually wanting this, but he never expected Harry to feel the same about Severus.

"I guess I was kind of scared he would have changed his mind. It seemed almost too easy for him to agree. Draco's right, I don't give Severus enough credit," said Harry, feeling that familiar guilt pressing against his chest again. He needed to have more faith in the man who would soon become his adoptive father.

Remus wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder, smiling indulgently. "It's alright, Harry; Severus doesn't give himself very much credit either. Now I don't think he would be too happy if he knew I was talking to you about this, but Severus is worried. He's afraid the Ministry won't approve the adoption because of his past history in regards to the Death Eaters and Voldemort. A valid fear, yes, but he's beating himself up over it."

Harry felt his stomach squirm. How could he have forgotten about that? It was obvious how much Snape had changed when Harry started to forget the man had once been a part of the movement actively trying to murder him. But things were different now; Snape had switched sides many years ago, and Dumbledore trusted him. The Headmaster would stick up for Snape again in this, Harry was sure of that.

"Dumbledore wouldn't let the Ministry keep Severus from adopting me because of that. If he defended him enough to allow him to teach a bunch of children, then he'll defend Severus in trying to adopt a child." Harry paused, a bemused look on his face. "I just called myself a child, didn't I?"

Remus chuckled at the expression on Harry's face. He looked so like his father, sometimes it made his chest hurt. Thinking about James made him think of Sirius, which in turn made him think of what Harry had walked in on.

"Severus is not a very expressive man, Harry. It is rare that anyone gets to see who he truly is, to see and know how he feels. When he allows his emotions to show, it is only because he trusts you a great deal.

"I've been lucky enough to see the real Severus Snape, to be let in. I know he's been much more open with you than any other student, besides perhaps Draco, but there are some things he's just not ready to let you in on yet. He will be, in time. Just please don't feel offended or shunned if Severus does not wish to be open about mine and his relationship just yet."

Harry was looking over Remus' shoulder at something Remus apparently couldn't see. When the werewolf turned to investigate, he felt his heart jump as he saw Severus standing in the doorway, his back leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. Remus' first instinct was to prepare for a chewing out, but the soft smile on Severus' face threw him off a bit.

"It is a shame the Umbridge laws are still in effect. You'd make a much better father than I ever could," Severus said, moving further into the room to stand at the foot of Harry's bed.

Just as Remus was about to admonish Severus for his lack of faith in himself once more, Harry cut him to the chase.

"Stop that. You're not exactly my father yet, but you've been doing a damn good job so far. I might not have very much to compare you to, but you're certainly a million times better to me than Uncle Vernon was. Don't just assume you're going to be bad at it, Severus. I, for one, think you're going to be an amazing father."

Harry's little speech struck Severus and Remus both dumb. Remus had not expected such a passionate defence, and Severus had not expected Harry to comment at all. The boy was right; it felt good to be needed.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me already, Harry, but..." Severus trailed off, not sure how to finish that thought without sounding weak or foolish. He was afraid to disappoint his would-be son already, and it was a very strange feeling indeed.

Harry stood up and moved towards Snape, shaking his head slowly. This had to be resolved before the interview for sure; he and Snape needed to be absolutely sure about everything before a caseworker interrogated them.

"There's no 'but' about it. I know you're probably a bit scared and overwhelmed by all this; I know I am. But I'm willing to go through all that, or I never would have asked you to be the one to adopt me. If I wanted easy agreement and acceptance, I would have asked the Weasleys. Just...please don't give up on me because you think you're not good enough, because you're wrong."

Severus had never felt quite so exposed before. He clenched his eyes closed as he felt the emotions trying to take him over. He hadn't allowed himself to lose control in a very long time, but he couldn't seem to stop the tears from prickling behind his eyes. He let out a deep sigh as he opened his eyes and saw that Harry's eyes were just a tad bit bright as well. Deciding he'd have to get used to opening up to Harry anyways, Severus reached out and pulled Harry close to him, wrapping his arms around him in a protective, affectionate embrace.

"I won't give up on you, Harry. I promise," Severus whispered, feeling the boy shudder against him as the emotions finally took over and caused them both to cry.

He looked over Harry's head and saw Remus watching them both, tears streaming down his own cheeks. There was a wide, warm smile on his face though, and when Severus met his gaze, the werewolf mouthed:

'_I love you'_

Severus smiled lightly through his tears as he rubbed small circles on Harry's back. _'I love you too,'_ Severus mouthed back to his lover. Maybe things would be a bit difficult to get through, but he knew with Harry and Remus by his side, everything would be ok.

S~S~S~S

After a long exhausting day of classes, all Harry wanted to do was go see Draco and curl up with his – boyfriend, he supposed? They'd not really made it official yet, but they were certainly acting like a couple, as far as Harry was concerned. He knew he should probably clear things up with Draco, but he was afraid that, if he were to say the wrong thing, he might just scare Draco off. The Slytherin still had spectacular mood swings, thanks to his amnesia and the sudden snippets of memory he regained.

When Harry entered the infirmary, he was nearly knocked over as Draco slammed into him in a tight hug. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around Draco, letting his bag fall to the ground.

"Nice to see you too, love," Harry said with a chuckle as Draco extracted himself from the hug, a wide smile on his pale face.

"I'm getting out! Madam Pomfrey said there's nothing technically medically wrong with me, so I can leave the hospital wing and start tutoring! She said I might even be able to attend classes again soon," Draco beamed, nearly shaking from the excitement. He'd been bursting with the news all day, but he'd had no visitors yet to vent to.

Harry smiled back at Draco, knowing exactly what a relief it was to finally be released from the hospital wing. He had spent quite too much time there himself in the past. He was slightly confused, however. "So, are you going back to the Slytherin dorms?"

Draco shrugged as he led the way back over to his bed, where'd he flopped down hard enough to make the bed springs squeak in protest. "Not sure yet; Madam Pomfrey said she still needs to talk to Severus about the details first, but I should be out by the end of the week."

"Oh, ok," Harry said with a nod as he joined Draco on the edge of the bed after picking up his school bag and depositing it on the chair beside the hospital bed. He felt slightly disappointed that he'd no longer have the daily visits in the hospital wing with Draco. Would the Slytherin push him away for his other friends once he moved back to the dungeons, or would Harry still get all his time and attention? Harry reminded himself that Draco had no idea who his old friends even were, which made him feel slightly better, if just a tad guilty.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Draco asked softly as he reached over and swept a lock of messy black hair behind the Gryffindor's ear. He could tell Harry was struggling with something, but he wasn't sure if it was what Draco had told him, or something else.

Harry shook himself out of his reverie, not wanting to ruin Draco's excitement about finally leaving the wretched hospital wing. "What? Oh, nothing. Sorry, I got a little lost in my head there."

Draco wasn't quite convinced, but he let it slide. He had something he wanted to ask Harry anyways. "So, I had this really vivid dream last night, but I don't know if it was a memory, or really just a dream. I was hoping you'd be able to tell me if it was real or not?"

Harry shrugged and nodded. He knew he wasn't supposed to tell Draco anything extremely important, but he figured it would just be something non-consequential. "Yeah, alright; I'll try."

"Well we were both standing in a corridor, and it looked like we were fighting. I said something about making you pay for what you did to my father, but then Severus came and separated us. I have no idea if that actually ever happened or not, or what you possibly could have done to my father," Draco said with a very bemused look on his face.

Harry felt his stomach drop and his pulse speed up as he tried not to show his panic outwardly. This was one topic Harry knew he should definitely not talk to Draco about without Snape's express permission, but he couldn't exactly refuse to answer without making Draco suspicious, and if he lied about it now, Draco would be hurt and angry with Harry when he finally did learn the truth. He was torn.

"I...Draco, I'm not supposed to talk about your parents; I've told you that before. I think maybe you should ask Severus about that dream," Harry said, feeling extremely guilty as Draco frowned at him, a mixed look of anger and suspicion on the blonde's face.

"What is so terrible that you can't talk to me about? I've already pretty much assumed my parents are either dead or in Azkaban, since they haven't shown up to see me once since I woke up. Please, Harry...I need to know one way or the other. Where are my parents?" asked Draco, his voice sounding very strained as he turned pleading grey ones onto Harry.

Harry bit his lip, knowing that he was going to have to tell Draco; he couldn't deny him an answer now. Besides, Draco didn't know just how very close he was to the truth with his assumptions. "Severus is going to kill me..." Harry swallowed hard and nodded his head slowly, finally meeting Draco's eyes.

"That dream was actually a real memory. It was at the end of last year, after your father had been sent to Azkaban for essentially trying to kill me and five other students, as well as breaking into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry." Harry paused, waiting for some sort of reaction from the blonde. He knew this was going to be a lot of hard information to take in; hence why he had started on explaining the absence of the parent that was, at least, still alive.

Draco dropped Harry's gaze as he stared down at his hands. His father was in Azkaban, for trying to kill Harry and others of his classmates? He knew his father was a dangerous man, but he never thought he'd end up in Azkaban.

"And mum? I bet she's devastated without my father there with her..." Draco said quietly, feeling his stomach twist painfully. If his mum wasn't in Azkaban as well, why hadn't she come to see him? He felt suddenly very ill. "Oh Merlin...Harry, please tell me my mum is ok?" Draco said, making it sound more like a command than an actual question.

Harry turned away from Draco, releasing a shaky breath as he heard Draco whimper beside him. He turned back, his own eyes bright as he tried to keep control of his emotions. He knew Draco was going to need him to get through this. "I'm so sorry, Draco," was all Harry had to say before Draco dissolved in tears, his thin shoulder shaking with sobs.

Harry gathered the blonde in his arms, holding onto Draco tightly as he clutched his robes like a drowning man. He felt tears slide down his cheeks as Draco wailed in despair into his shoulder. Harry didn't know what to do other than just hold Draco and murmur that things would be alright. That is, until Snape walked into the infirmary and made a b-line straight for the teens.

"What in Merlin's name is going on, Harry?" Severus asked, sitting down on the other side of Draco and reaching over to rub his godson's back soothingly. He heard the boy's heart-wrenching cries from nearly ten feet down the hall and quickened his pace, wondering what could possibly make Draco cry like that.

Harry took a deep breath, not wanting to repeat anything in front of Draco, but knowing Snape would not allow him off without an explanation. "Draco had a dream that was actually a memory, and asked me about it. It was about his father. I couldn't avoid it anymore, Severus; he'd already assumed the worst anyways. I'm sorry," Harry said in earnest, hoping that this wouldn't stop Snape from going through with the adoption. He'd not even considered that before, but now that he had, he was sure Snape would tell him to ask someone else.

Severus pursed his lips, obviously displeased that Harry had not asked him about telling Draco first, but he knew the boy was right; they had already gone far too long without telling Draco what had become of his parents. He was bound to come up with his own ideas about where they were.

"I reckon it was time he was told, anyways. I'm to blame for keeping it from him for so long. I thought I could, perhaps, save him a bit of heartache while he tried to recover. An old man's mistakes, yet again," Severus said quietly as he continued to rub Draco's back in small circles, listening to the boy's cries turn into soft snuffles against Harry's chest.

Harry grimaced at Severus' word choice, feeling an unpleasant crawling sensation go up his spine. "You sounded far too much like Dumbledore. You're not old, Severus, and it's not really anyone's fault. We knew there was going to be no easy way to break it to him."

"I am still here, you know," Draco grumbled in a muffled voice, his face still pressed against Harry's chest as his tears began to dry and his sniffles subsided. He sat up and wiped his face, knowing he must look a wreck. "Does that mean you have custody of me now, Sev?" he asked as he turned to look at his godfather.

Severus nodded as he pulled his hand away from the boy's back, seeing that his godson was trying to pull it together. Even in the face of all this heartache and confusion, Draco still managed to stay strong. Severus admired him for it. "Yes, but only until June fifth, which is your seventeenth birthday. After that, you're of age and no longer require a guardian."

"Well, that's just awkward on a whole new level," Draco answered, confusing both Harry and Severus in one go. They both cocked an eye brow at him simultaneously, the look so familiar and similar it made Draco chuckle. Harry was obviously spending a lot of time with the Potions Master.

"What do you mean, Draco?" Harry asked, bemused by Draco's comment and subsequent giggling. Maybe the shock of finding out about his parents had finally sent him round the twist.

"Well, Severus is my legal guardian right now, and when he adopts you, he'll be your father, legally speaking. So that essentially makes us sort of brothers," Draco said with a grimace, even as Severus let out a surprised bark of laughter.

"Oh, ew! I've been snogging my brother!" Harry exclaimed exasperatedly as Draco chuckled.

"You've been _what?_" Severus snapped, rounding on both of his charges with narrowed eyes. He knew they'd been making eyes at each other, but he had no idea they'd since moved passed the little pecks he'd already witnessed. Dear Merlin, what else had his godson and son done together? Good thing he was never planning on officially adopting Draco.

Both Harry and Draco were rolling around on the bed, collapsed in a fit of giggles at the look on Snape's face. They laughed even harder as the Potions Professor rolled his eyes and shoved them both playfully, a mock glare on his face.

However, the laughter stopped abruptly as the doors to the infirmary slammed open, admitting Ginny, Ron and Hermione, all looking extremely upset. Harry and Draco had sat up and moved slightly away from each other, though it was clearly obvious they were a little more than friends.

"Harry...Dad's in St. Mungo's. He's dying," Ron croaked, his face screwed up in misery as Hermione wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, Ginny joining in from the side and creating a tearful group hug.

Harry's jaw dropped as he felt his heart plummet and settle somewhere near his toes. Mr. Weasley was dying...and he never got the chance to apologize. He stood up slowly and made his way over to the other two-thirds of the Golden Trio and Ginny, feeling his throat constrict painfully.

Ron looked up from Hermione's shoulder, his eyes blood shot and watery, and met Harry's gaze. They stood staring at each other for a long time before Harry broke the tense silence.

"I'm so sorry, Ron."

Ron pulled away from Hermione and, before Harry knew what was happening, he threw himself into Harry's arms, crying on the shorter teen's shoulder. His lanky frame shook as he cried, holding tightly to his best mate. "I'm sorry too, Harry. I'm sorry..."

Harry tightened his grip around Ron and allowed his friend to sob into his shoulder, feeling tears slide down his cheeks. He felt Ginny come up on one side, then Hermione on the other, then was encased in the centre of another tearful group hug. Harry was extremely sick of crying already, but he had a feeling he'd be doing a lot more in the near future.

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**A/N:** So I'm pretty sure some of you officially hate me now. Sorry, it had to be done! Please review!! I really want to know what everyone thinks so far!


	24. Home for the Holidays

**A/N: **Hey there everyone! Well since Thanksgiving is next week (for those of us who live in the states), I decided to go ahead an update now while I have the chance! I'll be registering for school again next month, and then Christmas will soon be upon us, so writing time may be cut back a little bit. The chapters are seeming to get a bit longer with each one I write, but I'm sure you all don't mind that! There's still quite a bit to go for Harry's sixth year!

I have a proposition for all my readers, however; I intend to have Harry go on through his seventh year as well, what I want to know from all of you is if you'd prefer it to stay all together in one story, or if I should make his seventh year a sequel to Never Alone? Please review and let me know what you all think! This will be a very big and important decision for me, as I'm still working on the plot line quite a bit, and knowing where to end Never Alone is obviously very important. Thanks again to all my readers; I wouldn't be able to write as I do without you! Hope you enjoy this extra long chapter!

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**Ch 24.  
Home for the Holidays**

The firelight illuminated the teacups in the dim light of the dungeon quarters. Harry felt slightly awkward sitting with Ron and Ginny, though he was quite comfortable sitting beside Hermione, her head resting on his shoulder. Ginny was curled up beside Ron, her head in his lap. She had long since fallen asleep as the rest of them sat in silence.

Severus was sitting in his armchair, a glass of brandy in his hand. Remus was sitting on the ottoman in front of Severus, his back leaning against Severus' legs. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione had been suspicious about their interactions for a while, but when Severus pulled Remus into a hug to comfort the crying man, it became painfully obvious that they were together.

They'd had nowhere else to go where they could all be together. Draco had thrown quite the fit when Severus refused to let him leave the hospital wing to help comfort Harry. It had taken a good ten minutes of snogging and apologizing on Harry's part to calm the Slytherin down.

Dumbledore had informed them that Molly was at St. Mungo's with her husband, but would make a short visit to Hogwarts with her other children, minus Percy of course, to check on Ron and Ginny and update them on how their father was doing.

Not a word had been spoken since they had all moved down to the dungeon quarters. Severus had graciously allowed his rooms to be overrun by Gryffindors in their shared grief, as his own lover was one of the ones quite affected.

The floo flared to life, startling them all and awakening Ginny. A soft whimper escaped her throat as Molly, Charlie, Bill, Fred and George stepped out of the fire, one by one. She launched herself off the couch and into her mother's arms, Ron following close behind her. There was a very tense, very emotional group hug shared by the Weasley family. Hermione cried silently into Harry's shoulder as they held onto each other.

The Weasley family disbursed after a few minutes of hugging and silent crying. Molly's eyes fell upon Harry and Hermione holding onto each other and made straight for them, sitting beside them on the sofa and pulling them both into an awkward three-way hug.

"Would anyone like some tea, perhaps?" Remus asked quietly, his voice sounding too loud as he finally broke the dense silence that had settled around them all. Some of the tension in the room leaked away as the older Weasley boys nodded appreciatively to Remus' offer of tea. After conjuring a tea service, Remus passed cups around, offering the sugar bowl and boat of milk. Once everyone had a cup of tea in their hand, silence descended upon the room once more.

"Arthur has suffered a major stroke. He's not responding to any sort of stimulant, and requires the use of many potions to keep him breathing since he cannot do it on his own. The Healers are ninety percent sure that Arthur will never wake up or respond to outside stimuli again. He will not survive another stroke. He is alive, but will stay vegetative with the use of potions, or until he has another stroke. We, as a family, have been given the option to stop the potion regiment and take him home with us, so he can spend his last days with his family." Molly paused as Ron and Ginny dissolved into tears anew, holding onto each other as their brothers all offered pats of comfort from their positions behind the sofa.

"There's really no chance that he'll ever be the same again, Mum?" Ron asked in a raspy voice as most of his tears dried up. He still had his arms wrapped tightly around his little sister, Charlie gripping his shoulder from behind.

Molly shook her head slowly, dabbing at her eyes with a well-worn handkerchief that had once belonged to her husband. "The Healers are all in agreement that the brain damage is irreversible, and so if your father ever did wake again, he would not truly be the father you knew and grew up with. He'd be completely dependent on those around him, and he'd never talk or walk or be able to do anything by himself ever again.

"I know it is very hard for you all to hear that, but I cannot sugar coat something that is this important. The ultimate question is this; do you think your father would want to live like that, completely dependent on other people and brain dead? Or do you think, perhaps, that it would be kinder to set your father free, to allow him to move onto the next life so he can be independent and happy, waiting for us all when we make the journey?"

Ginny wiped her eyes and turned to look at all of her brothers, standing around her and looking extremely mournful. Ron caught her eye, and they both knew instantly what their choice would be. Looking up at their brothers, they all shared a nod of agreement.

"Let's take daddy home for one last Christmas with all of us together," Ginny whispered, sniffing as tears streaked down her cheeks once more.

Molly could not help but feel relieved at her daughter's words and her son's nods of agreement. She would never have gone against any of her children's wishes, but she just couldn't stand the thought of seeing Arthur so helpless for the rest of his life. He deserved much better than a half-life. She turned her attention then to Harry and Hermione, who were still clutching onto each other and trying to stem their tears.

"Harry, Hermione – what do you think?"

Harry blanched as Hermione let out a choked sob and buried her face in his chest. "Mrs. Weasley, we cannot possibly add our opinion in to something like this. We're not Arthur's children."

"On the contrary, Harry; you and Hermione are as much a son and daughter to Arthur and I as Ginny and Ron are. I would very much like to know what you think, and I'm sure Arthur would appreciate your concern as well," Molly said firmly, wiping at her eyes with the kerchief once more.

There was a long silence as Harry thought very hard about what he would prefer himself if he were to end up in such a situation. He'd never want to live such a miserable life, he knew, but would Arthur feel the same way? Not knowing who he or his family were, not being able to communicate anything, being completely dependent on other people for even the simplest things...Arthur deserved so much more than that. And if set free to move on to whatever came next after death, he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

"Living in a vegetative state, not even knowing who you are...that's not a real life. Arthur is already gone; the only thing that's left is just a shell of him. Letting him go would allow his soul to be free, not trapped inside that shell of a body." Harry gently shook Hermione, making her sit up and wipe her tears away once more.

"Harry is right; it would not be fair to him to keep his soul trapped here. He should be set free so he can watch over us all from the beyond, independent and no longer suffering the indignity and pain of living such a depleted life," said Hermione, smiling gently as Remus handed her another tissue to replace to tatters of paper that were once a tissue that she grasped close to her.

Molly nodded and smiled at Harry and Hermione. It was so obvious that a great weight had been taken off her shoulders, no longer having to carry around the stress of having to decide her husband's fate. "Thank you both. I am glad you helped us with this hard decision." She turned to look around at her children and nodded again.

"Let's take daddy home..."

S~S~S~S

Though it was still a week before Christmas break was to start, Ron and Ginny received special permission to go home early to be with their father and the rest of their grieving family. The Headmaster had even offered to let Harry and Hermione join them, but both of them declined, as they thought it should just be family.

Severus was secretly glad that Harry had decided not to leave with the Weasleys. Selfish as it was, he was hoping their first Christmas as father and son would happen that year. Shortly after the two youngest Weasleys bid their farewell to Harry and Hermione, Remus informed Severus that an owl had been looking for him at dinner in the Great Hall.

"I think it's waiting in the staff room now. The scroll looked pretty thick and official; you might want to fetch it before tomorrow morning," Remus said as he sipped at his tea and made a few corrections to the essay he was marking. "Ghastly knowledge of banishing boggarts...We'll need to review chapter fourteen again," he mumbled, shaking his head as he crossed out a large chunk of bad information.

Severus set aside his cup of tea and rose from his chair, grabbing the robes he had thrown over the back and slipped them back on. "Why on earth didn't the daft owl come during breakfast like the rest of them?"

Remus looked up and shrugged, smiling lightly at his lover's insistence in wearing his thick teaching robes when outside of his personal quarters. "Maybe it didn't get sent until after the morning post? It had a Ministry seal of some sort, but I couldn't get near enough to see the return address. That owl was pretty nasty."

Severus stiffened at Remus' words, suddenly knowing exactly what that letter was about. "The adoption appeal papers," he said simply, his heart rate much faster than usual. He let out a deep sigh as Remus looked up at him with an encouraging smile, a slightly knowing look in his eyes.

"You knew that's what it was the whole time, sneaky wolf," Severus drawled as he swept over to Remus' chair and bent down to place a kiss on the werewolf's soft lips. He could taste the lovely mixture of Earl Grey, sugar, and the essence that was pure _Remus_ and felt his nerves lessen very slightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus said with an innocent look, though the amusement in his amber eyes gave it all away.

Severus chuckled and shook his head, knowing Remus' teasing was good natured. He swept quickly out of his quarters and was approaching the staff room much quicker than he expected, as he was quite lost in thought during his walk.

"Owl for you, Severus," McGongall said from her seat at the spindly table in the centre of the small staff room. There were a few other professors sitting around the room, reading paperwork, drinking tea, or having quiet conversations with each other. Severus despised the staff room.

"Thank you, Minerva."

The grouchy barn owl was sitting atop a wardrobe placed against a wall to hold the staff's coats and robes while they relaxed, blinking in an irritated way as it restlessly ruffled it's feathers. Severus gave a short whistle and beckoned the owl down, holding out his arm for the bird of prey. He carefully untied the thick scroll from the leg of the owl, giving it a few pets down it's back before heading towards the open window and allowing the few seconds of pressure as the owl took flight.

"Important letter, Severus?" Poppy asked from her seat beside the window, her magazine sitting abandoned on the little side table next to her steaming tea.

"Yes indeed, Madam. It's actually the papers for the adoption appeal," Severus said distractedly as he read the address on the outside of the scroll and broke the wax seal to unroll it. His eyes scanned quickly over the opening paragraph before finding the sentence that told him all he needed to know. He broke out into one of his rare, unguarded smiles.

After the initial decision from Harry, Dumbledore had been adamant about keeping the adoption a secret from the rest of the staff and students until it was all finalized, but rumours and facts had gotten out, and before the week was up, everyone knew about the prospective adoption. Most the students had been a combination of shocked and horrified, while the staff, who knew Severus better, were surprised yet pleased.

"Good news then, Severus?" Professor Sprout asked from over her knitting needles, pausing at the smile on Severus' face.

Severus looked up and realized the entire staff room was staring expectantly at him, their excited anticipation of the outcome warming Severus more than he was willing to admit. "I've been approved to continue on with the adoption process; I passed the background check."

The room broke out in sounds of approval and delight, a few of the professors standing to congratulate Severus with a hand shake or a slap on the back. The noise suddenly went quiet as the Headmaster entered the staff room, his icy blue eyes meeting Severus' from across the room.

"Congratulations, Severus. I wish you all the luck in the interview process."

Severus felt his chest tighten as he saw the blatant pride and love in the Headmaster's eyes. Though most of the staff already knew Severus considered Dumbledore a father-figure, he was not willing to put it on display for the room.

"Thank you, Albus; I'm sure I'll need it. I should go find Harry and let him know. Excuse me," Severus said with a curt nod as he rolled the scroll back up and quickly made his escape from the stuffy staff room. He knew exactly where Harry was; Draco had not yet been released from the hospital wing, after all.

The infirmary was oddly quiet as Severus walked in. He almost considered the possibility of a quick escape by the boys, but a shuffling sound from behind the curtain currently blocking his view of Draco's bed told him otherwise. He was almost afraid to walk around the curtain, not sure if he wanted to see what the boys were up to.

There had been no need to fret, Severus realized as he walked further into the room and caught sight of Draco and Harry, curled up together in the small hospital bed. They both looked to be asleep, until Harry lifted a hand and started carding through Draco's blonde tresses with a soft smile on his face. He looked up as he heard the sweeping of Severus' cloak dragging on the ground.

"Hey, Severus. We were talking about his move from the hospital wing, but he fell asleep. He hates sleeping alone, so he's not getting much while stuck in here," Harry whispered from his place beside Draco, still running his fingers through silky blonde hair.

Severus smiled lightly at the two boys, finding no room in his heart to disapprove of something so innocent and beautiful. "Well, he'll be out of here soon. But that doesn't mean he won't still be sleeping alone," said Severus, shooting Harry a pointed look and smirking at the blush he inspired.

"I received an owl from the ministry; they've approved me to continue on with the adoption process. Next up is the interview, which isn't going to be easy, but the worst is over as far as I'm concerned. I was more worried about the background check than anything else."

The smile that lit Harry's face was like the sun coming out from behind black storm clouds. Severus felt himself smiling back, unable to contain his emotions any longer. Besides, it was time to start letting Harry in more; a son should be able to tell a father anything, and the reverse was just as true.

"So when is the interview? Maybe we should start planning what we're going to say. What are they going to ask, exactly?" Harry asked, carefully extracting himself from Draco's arms so that he wouldn't have to whisper to Severus. He leaned down and kissed Draco on the forehead before turning and walking out of the infirmary with the Potions Professor.

"The interview will be on the thirteenth. As for planning what to say, I think it's best we let it all play by ear. Having our answers to their questions planned and well rehearsed will only tell the caseworker that we may have something to hide by having prepared answers. Besides, I don't know what questions we'll be asked. If we're ready for this, the answers will come to us naturally at the moment we're asked," Severus assured his soon-to-be son – he hoped.

Harry looked a little sceptical but nodded anyways, his stride in perfect step with the Potions Master's. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Does Remus know? Are they going to interview him as well?"

Severus cleared his throat nervously as he carefully stared ahead of him as they walked. "Well, perhaps there are some things we should discuss. As bad as this is going to sound, you must understand that I did what I had to do in order to make sure the application went through. Remus knows, yes, but they won't be interviewing him at all. In fact, as far as the ministry is concerned, I'm single."

Harry stopped abruptly, watching as Severus distractedly kept walking a ways ahead of him before realizing he was alone. Harry had a scandalized look on his face, and Severus wasn't quite sure he was prepared to handle what he knew was bothering Harry.

"That's completely unfair! You're not single. Why would you lie like that?" Harry asked as he refused to walk any further towards their dungeon quarters. He couldn't believe Severus would actually lie about his relationship with Remus. He knew Severus was a very personal man, but to be so ashamed as to lie about it on the adoption application? He never knew the shame went so far.

Severus sighed and shook his head slowly as he made his way back over to his prospective son. The first hurdle already and it was about his relationship with Remus, and not between the two of them.

"Harry, you must understand the hard position I am in. There was always the chance that my application would be denied just on principle of who I am. If I had listed myself as in a relationship with another man, who also happens to suffer from Lycanthropy, they probably would have laughed while they tore up my application.

"You're right, it is very unfair, but Remus understands my reasoning and accepts my decisions. He knows what he means to me, and I wish I could acknowledge him as my lover to the entire Wizarding world, but it's not that easy, Harry. I hope for your sake, the media will make an exception with your sexuality because of your celebrity status," Severus said, hoping Harry would be as understanding as Remus had been.

Harry sighed and nodded as they approached the entrance to their quarters. Maybe he had overreacted, but he still thought it was really unfair that Remus was being shunned because of his condition and his sexuality. Life had just dealt him a shit hand, he supposed.

"Well, I guess if Remus can accept it, then so can I. As long as he knows I'll think of him as my father just like you, then I guess it's ok," Harry conceded, offering a shrug and small grin.

Severus gave a small smile in return as he gently grasped Harry's shoulder before speaking the password to enter their dungeon quarters. He immediately caught Remus' eye as his lover set his book aside and stood to meet him at the door.

"So, good news I'm assuming from the smiles?" Remus asked, his expression hopeful yet still nervous. He knew what that letter had been; he just didn't know exactly what it had _said_.

Severus smiled warmly at the Defence Professor as he walked over and pulled him into a hug that shocked both Remus and Harry. Up until then, Severus had been adamant about not being too affectionate around Harry, but apparently the occasion warranted some affection.

"I've been approved to proceed with the adoption process," Severus said as he pulled away slightly from the embrace, feeling his cheeks burn as he saw Harry grinning at them from the corner of his eye.

Remus' smile grew even wider as he reinitiated the hug, holding the Potions Master close briefly before pulling back and kissing him gently on the lips. "That's wonderful, Severus. I'm glad the Ministry have finally grown some brain cells and stopped punishing you for your past crimes. I told you things would be ok."

"I know, but I couldn't help but worry about it. This damn Mark on my arm is usually the first and only thing people see, and I was afraid it would happen again with this," Severus admitted, rubbing his left forearm through the sleeve of his robes as if he had a particularly ruthless itch.

Remus grasped Severus' hand, pausing the violent rubbing immediately with a disapproving frown. "I told you not to do that anymore. You know it won't help, nor will it make it disappear. Someday, Sev, someday we'll find a way to get rid of it."

Harry had curled himself up on the sofa with his Defence book, watching his Professors from the corner of his eye as he pretended to be studying for an exam the next day. He frowned as he saw the look of shame and pain on Severus' face; a rare look into his prospective father's emotions, he was sure.

"Does it still hurt when Voldemort calls the other Death Eaters to him?" Harry asked, not really thinking before he opened his mouth. He blushed as he realized what a personal and probably upsetting question that had been. "Er...sorry..."

Severus stepped away from Remus and took the seat beside Harry, slowly sliding his sleeve up to reveal the cursed tattoo that had been placed on him nearly twenty years previous. "Don't be sorry, Harry. You have every right to be curious about it. Yes, it does still burn when He summons his followers, and it lasts for quite some time and becomes more severe the longer I ignore the summons. Eventually the pain either recedes, or plateaus until it goes away completely. Generally after a summons, the pain will last a week, maybe a week and a half."

Harry's expression was one of slight horror and deep sadness. He had no idea the Potions Master had been suffering so much because of the damnable Mark on his arm since he had escaped Voldemort's clutches. The man was certainly good at hiding his discomfort, Harry would give him that. "There's no way to get rid of it, at all?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer from what Remus had just said.

Severus looked over his shoulder towards Remus, who had always been much better at explaining this type of stuff than Severus was. With a deep sigh, Remus sat down beside Severus and leaned forward so he could see Harry properly.

"The Dark Mark is not simply a tattoo like any other. It is even much more different than a magical tattoo. It's a cursed scar, sort of like the one you wear upon your forehead. Its placement was based on ill intentions, and procured from dark blood magic. It's essentially a link to the Dark Lord, connecting all of his followers to him through a magical bond of darkest, vilest power. It condemns those who wear it to a life of servitude; slavery at its worst. The only way to cut off the connection is to kill off the host; Voldemort. However, even after the connection is gone, the Mark will still remain. The day we find a way to remove your scar, is the day we find a way to remove the Dark Mark; physically and magically."

Remus glanced over to Severus, who seemed very quiet and resigned. The man was never very outspoken if not absolutely necessary, but it was obvious to Remus that the Dark Mark caused his lover great discomfort, physically and mentally.

"Enough of that for now; we should be celebrating! Now all that's left are the interviews, which I'm sure you'll both be fine with. Severus has always had a special way with words," Remus said with a smirk, causing Harry to chuckle as the Potions Master scowled.

Harry closed his book and set it aside, content to just sit and spend time with the two most important men in his life, aside from Draco, that is. Draco...Harry missed his – whatever Draco was to him; boyfriend, lover, friend? Whatever it was, Harry couldn't wait until Draco was allowed to leave the infirmary. He was snapped out of his reverie by Severus, who had taken up his abandoned text book and handed it back to him.

"Please, don't stop studying on our account. In fact, I do believe you have some exams to study for before the week is out? One more week, that is all, Harry. Christmas break will be here soon," Severus said with a soft smile as Harry blushed and cracked open his book again. A deep frown traced the teen's lips as he looked back up at the Potions Professor.

"Do you think Arthur would have forgiven me, Severus?" Harry whispered, his eyes slightly over-bright as he struggled to control his rampant emotions as best he could.

Severus felt a pang in his chest, wishing that horribly sad expression would fade from the young Gryffindor's face. He had expected this to come up sooner or later, what with the youngest two Weasley's already gone for Winter break to be with their father.

"Harry, I'm sure Arthur understood that you were going through a very rough time, an extremely hard decision completely resting on your shoulders. You know the Weasleys always respected and cared for you as if you were their own son. I don't think a single unpleasant encounter was enough to displace Arthur's affection for you. Molly has obviously forgiven you, or else she wouldn't have asked you your opinion on what to do for Arthur."

Severus paused as he waited for Harry to wipe away the few tears that slid down the teen's cheeks. He had no idea it would hurt so horribly bad to see his prospective son upset like this. It was new and alien, but not altogether unwelcome.

"I think the only person who needs to forgive you now – is yourself, Harry."

Harry wiped away his stray tears as he closed his book once more. There was a second of indecision before he leaned over and rested his head against Snape's shoulder, sighing heavily as the man leaned down and kissed him gently on the top of his head. It felt so nice to have someone to lean on when he needed it, literally. "Thanks, Sev, for everything."

Severus smiled as he felt Remus fish for his hand, holding it tightly in his own as the other man leaned comfortably against him much in the same way that Harry was. He let his head rest gently atop Harry's, content to have the two people he loved most leaning against him, offering and taking comfort in one. "You're welcome, Harry."

S~S~S~S

The last week of term before Christmas break flew by, at least for Harry. His exams were fairly easy, and he was sure he had done well in all his classes. He was growing ever more nervous for the interview with the Casewitch from Wizarding Family Services, which was in just another week's time. Not knowing what was to be asked scared him more than anything. How was he supposed to prepare himself if he had no idea what to expect?

Draco had been ecstatic when he heard that Harry would be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays along with Snape, Remus, and a handful of other students, including Hermione. Madam Pomfrey had given the go ahead for Draco to leave the infirmary, as long as he kept up with weekly checkups to make sure he was healing properly. As for the amnesia, it was just the waiting game from then on out. Whether or not Draco would ever regain his full memory still remained to be seen.

And so it was Sunday evening that found Harry and Draco unpacking Draco's trunk, hanging clothes in the wardrobe and placing books and such on the desk in the corner. Out of concern for how the other Slytherins would treat Draco in his amnesic state, Dumbledore had set up a personal room, right next door to Snape's and Harry's dungeon quarters. Both boys had been ecstatic, whereas Severus had been exasperated while Remus was congenially amused.

"You know, I never did get to do any holiday shopping. I wonder if Sev would let us go to Hogsmeade to grab a few things," Draco said thoughtfully as he placed his favourite wool jumper on a hanger in the wardrobe. Hmm...he actually remembered he had a favourite jumper. Well, that was a new one.

Harry shrugged as he closed the lid on Draco's now empty trunk, flopping down comfortably on the Slytherin's four poster bed. He smiled as Draco finished hanging his clothes and turned to flop down alongside him on the bed, curling up comfortably against him.

"I dunno. We could always ask him. I'm sure he wouldn't let us go alone, but maybe if he or Remus came with us he wouldn't mind. I didn't really get to do any shopping either. What on earth would I get Severus; something to do with potions?" Harry asked, slightly concerned that it was so close to Christmas and he still had no idea what to buy for his soon-to-be adopted father.

Draco chuckled as he played with Harry's wild hair, amused with the way it sprang back up even after he flattened it out. "I think he'll like whatever you get him, Harry, but no, it doesn't have to be something to do with potions. He's essentially your dad now. What would a son buy their father for Christmas?"

"How about a 'thank you' card? Without this adoption, you've no idea the danger I would be in. I want to get him something special, but what? I've no idea what a son buys their father...I've never had one to buy for before," Harry said, feeling a strange warmth spread throughout his body at the idea of having parents to buy gifts for. Of course, he had to buy something for Remus, too!

"Well think of it this way, then. What do you think is important to Sev, other than potions of course?" Draco asked as he sat up enough to look down into Harry's face. He smirked as he plucked off his glasses, preferring to see Harry's eyes unframed.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully as his glasses were stolen, smiling despite his exasperation. "Well Remus and I are important to him. So, family, I suppose? And...well, my mother was really special to him, back when they were Hogwarts students. Dumbledore is important to him, but I'm pretty sure that fits into the family category. He loves Earl Grey tea, and his favourite colour is actually blue, like his eyes. He loves books, on just about anything from the looks of his book shelves. He keeps his mum's old pocket watch, even though it stopped working a long time ago. He refuses to fix it using magic, either, as it was actually a muggle pocket watch."

Draco was smirking widely down at Harry, shaking his head slowly at the clueless Gryffindor. "Well, you certainly know a lot about him that I'm sure other students wouldn't. I think, however, that the perfect gift for Severus is something he already has."

"What do you mean? How can I give him something he already has?" Harry asked with a bemused expression. Maybe Draco needed to get some rest; today had been a busy and exciting day for them.

"The pocket watch, Harry. Get it fixed for him, the Muggle way. I'm sure it's not completely irreparable without magic. Maybe get it restored for him too, if it's not in very good condition. It's thoughtful, and it's something that's important to him," said Draco, his tone matter of fact and cheerful. Apparently he thought he had it all figured out.

Harry frowned as he thought about taking Severus' mum's pocket watch and tinkering with it. He was almost positive he'd die a horrible, bloody death if he dared to even look at the thing the wrong way. Perhaps Draco hadn't been all wrong, however.

"You know, I think Sev would kill me if I so much as touched that watch. Maybe...maybe I could just get him a new one. I could have it engraved or something. I dunno; guess I'll figure it out eventually."

Draco shrugged before leaning down and placing a quick kiss on Harry's lips, eliciting a smile from the Gryffindor. "Like I said, he'll probably like anything you give him. The right thing will come to you eventually."

Harry sighed as he pulled Draco down for another kiss, wrapping his arms around the blonde protectively. "Hopefully 'eventually' comes sometime before Christmas," he chuckled, content to just lay there with the Slytherin for the rest of the night. He knew, however, that Severus would soon be in to separate the two.

As if on cue, the door creaked open to admit the Potions Professor, who glanced around before catching sight of the boys and rolling his eyes. "Come, Harry. We have a busy day tomorrow, and I want you up by six to get ready for the interview," said Severus as he reached over to right a picture that had ended up crooked on the wall.

"Six in the morning? I thought the Casewitch wasn't coming until half ten?" Harry asked, whinging as he had to extract himself from Draco's embrace. He waited for Draco to stand before giving him a quick hug and a goodnight kiss, making Snape roll his eyes once more.

"Yes, six in the morning. The Casewitch will indeed be here at half ten, but you'll need time to dress properly and breakfast before we try to discuss a few things that might be asked of us," said Severus as he escorted Harry out of the room, nodding his goodnight to Draco as they left.

Harry groaned as they entered their dungeon quarters, smiling at Remus as the werewolf looked up from grading midterm essays. "I thought we weren't going to have rehearsed answers for anything, and besides, we don't know what we'll be asked."

"No, but there are a few standard questions that I'm sure will come up, and I want to make sure we can both answer them without difficulty. We'll discuss it tomorrow morning. Bedtime now, Harry, and please try to refrain from sneaking out to see Draco, just for tonight," Severus said exasperatedly, scowling as Harry chuckled and nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, I'll actually go to sleep tonight." Harry paused at the door of his room and looked back down the hall at Severus, offering him a small smile. "Are you nervous, Sev?"

Severus looked up at his charge, noticing how his eyes gleamed even in the faint light of the dungeons. He looked very much like Lily in that moment and less like his birth father. "I'm very nervous, but things will work out just fine, I'm sure. Goodnight, Harry."

"Night, Severus."

Remus smiled at the Potions Professor as he sat down beside him on the sofa, setting aside his grading quill and pile of essays. He leaned over and kissed Severus gently on the lips, glad when he saw some of the tension melt from his lover's expression. "You'll be fine, love. You and Harry have been through a lot, and things have worked out so far."

Severus nodded distractedly as he ran a hand through his hair, trying not to think too hard about what he might be asked the next morning. "I wish you could contest for second parent adoption. Harry of course still considers you as his second father, but it's not fair that it should be legal for me, and not for you. He was quite upset when I told him you'd have no legal rights over him."

"I know it's not fair, but it's nothing either of you can change, really. I'm just glad that Harry sees me as a father figure still, and that I'll be there with you to help watch over him. Perhaps I should sleep in my own quarters tonight. I know I'll have to steer clear for tomorrow," said Remus as he prepared to gather his grading supplies. He was slightly surprised when the Quill was plucked from his hands and he was pulled towards the Potions Professor.

"You're not going anywhere, Remus. Please, I need you here tonight. There will be plenty of time for you to make your escape in the morning, but I need you right now." Severus allowed himself to be engulfed in a hug, content to let Remus hold him close.

"Alright, I'll stay."

S~S~S~S

Six o'clock in the morning came much too soon for Harry's liking. Even as he tried to ignore the alarm, Severus and Remus both came to rouse him from his sleep and ransack his wardrobe for the perfect outfit. Harry was starkly reminded of the Professors' sexuality as they discussed which robes would match his eyes better. He shook his head distractedly as he grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.

A set of very nice forest green robes were lying across his bed, as well as a very shiny pair of dress shoes and black socks. Beside the robes lay a very familiar velvet cloak that nearly made Harry swallow his own tongue as he gasped. He turned to go ask what it was doing on his bed when Severus and Remus both came into the room. Good thing he had a towel slung around his waist.

"You are to wear the outfit we chose for the interview. Muggle clothes are more comfortable yes, but you're being interviewed by Wizarding Family Services, and should dress appropriately like a wizard," Severus said as he glanced over at the outfit again to make sure Harry hadn't switched anything without his noticing.

"But...but the cloak. That's Sirius' cloak," Harry said barely above a whisper, looking over at Remus as he said it. He was sure it had been Remus who had included that in the outfit, as Severus probably didn't even know it had belonged to the Animagus.

Remus nodded as he walked over and slid his hand carefully across the soft cloak, a small frown on his face. He looked up at Harry and smiled. "I know that if Sirius were alive to see this, he would want to wish you the best of luck."

"Or he'd just eviscerate Severus on principle – "

"However," Remus said loudly, drowning out Harry's sceptical mutterings, "since your godfather is not here to wish you such luck, I thought perhaps that you could have a little bit of Sirius with you in way of his cloak. By no means are you required to wear it, I just thought you might like to."

Harry walked over and sat on the corner of his bed, lifting the heavy cloak in his arms and studying the filigree clasp and the soft velvet. He looked up at Severus, almost like he was asking permission to wear the cloak.

"I would not ever deny you the chance to remember your godfather, Harry. If you would like to wear his cloak, I have no complaints about it," said Severus, properly reading Harry's expression. He'd already learned to swallow his pride when it came to handling feelings about Sirius Black. Two of the most important people in his life had strong emotional connections to the man, it was unavoidable.

Harry smiled as he tried to blink back the tears in his eyes. The soft velvet felt like a comforting weight, almost as if Sirius was there, hugging him and telling him that things would work out just fine. "Thanks, Sev. I should get dressed now..."

Severus nodded and pulled Remus out of the room with him, offering Harry a small smile and a wink before closing the door to give the boy some privacy. He turned to Remus in the hall and sighed, knowing the man would have to avoid him and his quarters for the rest of the day so as not to arouse suspicion.

"I promise I'll let you know when the Casewitch leaves so you can come back. I really do wish you could be here for the whole thing, Remus," Severus said quietly, allowing himself to be pulled closer to the werewolf.

"I know, and I understand why I can't be. Maybe someday the laws will be changed. Let me know how it goes as soon as you can. I'll be in my office, worried sick and marking midterms all day," said Remus with a warm and encouraging smile. He sighed as Severus pressed his lips firmly against his, granting his lover access to deepen the kiss and getting quite lost in the embrace.

"So this is what it feels like to walk in on your parents snogging." Harry had come out of his room, fully dressed and trying to drag a comb through his hair, just to stop short as he caught Severus and Remus in the midst of what looked like a quite passionate kiss. He crossed his arms over his chest as he smirked at the couple, shaking his head slowly.

Severus reluctantly broke the kiss, even as Remus chuckled against his lips. He turned to look at Harry, the dark green robes bringing out his eyes perfectly and the soft velvet cloak rounding out the entire ensemble perfectly. It was hard to imagine he was trying to adopt this young man; he looked so grown up already.

"You look very nice, Harry. We'll eat breakfast down here this morning so we can discuss a few things that might come up in the interview." Severus turned back to Remus, who was smiling proudly at Harry, his eyes bright. "I'll see you later tonight, I'm sure."

Remus nodded and leaned in for another kiss, brushing Severus hair out of his eyes as he pulled away. "Good luck, Severus. I love you," he said quietly, smiling when Severus kissed him again.

"I love you too, now go eat some breakfast and worry all day," Severus said with a smirk. He waited until Remus grabbed his robes from the rack beside the door and left before beckoning Harry to follow him into the sitting room.

"Dobby!"

With a loud pop, the ragged little house elf with huge ears and great tennis-ball eyes appeared in the dungeon sitting room, beaming as he caught sight of Harry.

"Harry Potter and Professor Snape, sirs! What can Dobby do for yous this morning?" the strange little creature asked with a toothy grin. Dobby the house elf had always been a very sycophantic individual, especially when it came to famous Harry Potter. However, as most people thought it was Harry's celebrity status that made Dobby such a fan of his, it was actually Harry Potter's kindness that made the elf so amorous.

"Can you bring breakfast for two please, Dobby, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice as well as a tea service," Severus asked the elf as he sat down in his favourite arm chair, leaving the sofa open for Harry.

Dobby nodded rapidly, all the while smiling over at Harry and making the Gryffindor feel slightly uncomfortable. "Of course, sirs, coming right up!" Another loud pop and Dobby was gone, preparing breakfast for two.

They sat in silence for a while before Harry finally got the courage to ask what had been on his mind for a while. "If gay marriage were legal, would you marry Remus?"

Severus' eyebrows shot up reflexively as he stared at Harry, thrown by that non-sequitur quite nicely. He paused as he actually thought about how he would respond to such a random, yet important question. He loved Remus. He had finally admitted it to himself, and to Remus, not to mention said it out loud in front of Harry just minutes before. But did he love the werewolf enough to marry him, if it were possible? He knew there were other symbolic rituals that were recognized among the Wizarding community as near-marriage sanctity, such as the Joining of the Souls ceremony – the one Remus had already shared with another man. Severus was quite sure the question should be: would Remus marry _him_ if it were legal? He didn't know if the man would be ready for that level of commitment again just yet.

"Well, Harry, that's a bit of a complicated question. If you're asking if I love Remus, the answer is definitely yes. I would like to think that, should same-sex marriage ever be legalized, Remus and I would take advantage of it. However, whatever my feelings may be towards the idea of marriage, my concern is how Remus would feel about such a thing. The Joining of the Souls ceremony he shared with Sirius is about as close to marriage as two men can get in England, and I'm not sure if Remus would be ready or willing to go through that again. Just out of curiosity, Harry, why do you ask?"

Harry blushed slightly as he ducked his head, avoiding eye contact with the Potions Professor. He hadn't really given much thought to the fact that Remus might not want to marry Severus. Perhaps he wasn't being fair in just assuming that Remus was the marrying type, especially after the heart break of losing Sirius so soon after they had been Joined.

"I was just curious, really. I...I want you both to stay together, because I need you both, and I couldn't possibly choose if the situation ever warranted it," Harry admitted, shrugging as if it was of no great importance.

"Harry, if anything ever happened between Remus and me to separate us I would never begrudge you the chance to be close to him. I know he is just as important to you as I am, and I wouldn't make you choose between us. However, I don't plan on being separated from him, ever."

Both Professor and student jumped violently as Dobby reappeared with a loud pop, bringing along their breakfast and setting it up on the coffee table. Severus took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart before attending to his own plate, nodding for Harry to do the same. After they had both eaten their fill, it was time to discuss the things they may be asked in the interview that would happen in just a few short hours.

"The simple things will most likely be asked, such as: why did you choose me, who else did you consider, how our relationship came to pass – things of the like. We might also be asked some questions about our knowledge of each other, like favourite colour, favourite food, birthday, favourite hobby. This is all speculation, but I'm sure a few are bound to come up."

Harry nodded as he thought about he would answer each of those questions. He knew why he had chosen Severus, but he wasn't sure how much he was allowed to reveal to the Casewitch. "Is there anything I'm not allowed to tell her? Like about how you were being tortured, or my aunt and uncle and cousin being murdered? I just...I don't want to say the wrong thing and bollix it all up."

"None of those things are a secret, Harry. The Ministry was informed of the attack on your family, though little good that did. They know you've been in my care ever since, and that I was working under Dumbledore's orders to spy on the Dark Lord. You might be asked your opinion on my past association with the Death Eaters, and I want you to be honest when you answer. Don't try to sugar-coat it, because they'll know you're only lying for my sake. My background check has already been cleared; they can't reasonably deny the adoption on those grounds."

Harry sighed in relief, feeling a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He had never been a fan of lying, especially to people who would have the final say on a huge change in his life. Harry realized something else that Severus mentioned that he didn't know.

"When's your birthday? You obviously know mine, but I don't think I know yours. I know your favourite colour is blue, but I'm not sure if you knew my favourite colour is green. Treacle tart is my favourite food, and yours is cheese and onion soup, particularly when Molly makes it. I think it's safe to assume your favourite hobby is brewing potions, and I think you know that mine is flying. Anything else we should know about each other?"

Severus was slightly shocked by Harry's already extensive knowledge of himself. He wondered vaguely how Harry even knew half of what he had listed, especially the part about his favourite food. Where on earth had he found that out?

"My birthday is on January ninth. Yours is July thirty-first, of course. I had no idea you were fond of the colour green, or that you knew I liked blue. I won't even ask how you knew my favourite food, as I'm sure it was either by observation, or Remus or Molly informed you. I think your assumption is indeed safe when it comes to my favourite hobby, and I did figure as much about yours. I think, perhaps that that is all the information we need for now. Whatever is asked of us, we will simply have to answer on the fly. Are you quite ready? The Casewitch will be here in another quarter hour."

Harry took a deep breath and released it slowly, his expression knit with nerves and excitement. Everything depended on this interview, on their answers. If everything worked out, he'd have a father to spend Christmas with this year. He smiled at the thought and nodded, feeling slightly less panicked as Severus smiled back at him. "Ready as I'll ever be, Sev..."

Severus nodded, sharing Harry's feelings almost exactly. It was extremely odd, and yet strangely satisfying, wanting all of this to work out so badly. For even though he had hated James Potter, he had loved Lily Evans, and if truth be told, he had longed to be Harry's father. Now it was time for him to truly honour his promise to Lily, and protect her son – and his – any way that he possibly could. Sometimes devotion knew no depths or boundaries.

"Then all we can do now is wait," Severus said with a sigh of his own. This would probably be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.

"Severus, can I ask you one more thing?" Harry asked, a light blush staining his cheeks as Severus nodded and gestured for Harry to go ahead and ask whatever he pleased. "If everything goes through, and the adoption becomes official, would you mind if...I mean to say, would you care if I...WoulditbeokifIcalledyoudad?" Harry mumbled, his cheeks flaming even brighter as Severus gave him a confused look.

"Pardon? I didn't catch that last bit."

Harry took a deep breath, willing his cheeks to stop burning as he looked up at met the Potions Master's eyes. "Would...would it be alright if I called you dad after the adoption goes through?" he asked once more, gulping loudly. He was prepared for Snape to scoff at him and refuse, but he needed to ask, if only for his own peace of mind.

Shocked speechless, that was the only way Severus could describe how he felt in that moment. He knew that the relationship between Harry and himself had changed quite drastically in just a few short months, and that in asking Severus to adopt him, Harry was admitting that he felt some sort of affection for the Potions Professor. However, Severus had never expected nor imagined that Harry would truly think of him as an actual father, especially considering the bad blood between Severus and James. It took Severus quite some time to decide what he wanted to say, and a little bit longer to figure out how to go about saying it.

"Harry, I...I would be honoured to have you call me dad, or father, or any variation of. However, I want you to know that I do not expect you to call me anything that you are not comfortable with. If calling me Severus or Sev is easier for you, then by all means, but I would not mind in the slightest if you preferred to call me dad."

Harry felt a lump in his throat and tried to clear it even as he blinked back the tears that had threatened to leak out. He'd been so sure that Severus would think it was a bad idea. "I know you don't expect it of me. I think maybe it'll take some getting used to at first, but I think calling you dad would be better than by your name. I know I had a father for the first year of my life, but I don't remember any of it or him at all. There's no reason not to refer to you as my father, since that's what you are, regardless of it being only by adoption. It'll be nice to feel like a normal kid, having two parents and all."

Before Severus could reply, there was a faint knock on the door. Their eyes met for a second as they both took deep breaths and stood up. Severus moved closer to Harry and put an arm around his shoulders giving him a half hug for luck. "Don't worry. Things will work out just fine, you'll see."

Harry leaned into the embrace, gathering as much comfort as he could from Severus' warmth. "I trust you. Let's get this over with."

"Cheeky brat," Severus muttered fondly as he pulled away from the Gryffindor and moved towards the door to admit the Casewitch. "Welcome to our home, Mrs. Luther. Please, come in."

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**A/N:** I know, I'm so retched for leaving it at such a huge cliff-hanger, but it seemed the appropriate place to end the chapter! It was already beginning to be too long, so I had to end it there. I promise I'll try to update as soon as I can after Thanksgiving! Please think about the question I posed at the beginning of the chapter and include your opinion in your review. Thanks again, and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it!


	25. The Final Goodbye

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Well here's another chapter! You lucky ducks will most likely be getting THREE chapters this month, just so I can fit the chapter containing Christmas in close to the actual date of Christmas. I'm going to try, but I make no guarantees. I need more opinions on whether or not to make Harry's 7th year a sequel, so please review and let me know! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 25.  
The Final Goodbye**

The woman standing at the door was a fairly portly, dark skinned woman with quite a lot of curly hair sitting precariously atop her head with a horrible red ribbon tied into it that reminded Harry way too much of Umbridge. He shivered at the very thought. She had a clipboard held to her breast and a never-out quill clasped in a hand bedecked with talon-like fake nails, which reminded Harry of Rita Skeeter. This woman already boded ill.

"Good morning Professor, Mr. Potter," Adeline Luther greeted the two interviewees as she entered the dungeon quarters. She took a quick look around and noticed all the towering bookshelves, groaning under the weight of hundreds of books. At least she knew the boy would have ample opportunity to study whilst living with the Potions Master. "Shall we get started then?"

Severus led the way into the sitting room, a fresh tea service already prepared on the coffee table, the mess from breakfast vanished. Dobby must have been informed and appointed to take care of their dungeon quarters for the day. Severus was quite glad for it, no matter how insane the little elf was.

"Please have a seat wherever you'd like. Would you like a cup of tea?" Severus asked as he waited for the woman to decide where to sit before seating himself. He felt slightly annoyed when the woman chose his armchair to sit in, but brushed it off as he sat down beside Harry on the sofa. Maybe it would be better to be closer to Harry just then.

"A cuppa would be quite welcome, thank you. I take two sugars, no cream," Mrs. Luther said as she settled herself into the comfortable armchair, settling her clip board on her lap and laying her quill down as she accepted the steaming hot cup of tea from the Potions Master.

There was silence for some minutes while the three occupants of the dungeon quarters sipped at their tea and glanced nervously around at each other. Finally, when the tea had dried up and there were no further distractions, the Casewitch lifted her quill and fixed the prospective father and son with a sharp look.

"I will not lie or sugar-coat anything. That is my one and only warning, and the one and only thing I ask in return from the both of you. I did not enter your home with the intentions of ruining your hopes of becoming father and son, and yet I did not also enter with the hopes of granting such a wish. What is said here today will be the ultimate deciding factor, not my own decision afterwards. Is that all clear with everyone?" Adeline asked, waiting for the nods of assent before she continued.

"Very good. Now, we'll start with the most obvious question, at least in my opinion. Why do you wish to adopt Mr. Potter, Professor?"

Severus felt his stomach churn and his mind simply went blank. He couldn't think of the answer he knew he would give for this question; it was gone. He took a few seconds to get himself back under control before answering.

"Well, there is no simple answer for that question, Mrs. Luther. I knew Harry's mother back when I was a student at Hogwarts myself, and we were very good friends for many years. After her tragic death fifteen years ago, I made a promise to her memory that I would protect her son from the harm that so affected her. Unfortunately, I did not always have the chance or ability to protect him from danger, and he has suffered for it. Now that I have the power and ability to protect Harry properly, I do not intend to let the boy face anymore needless danger.

"However, that is not the only reason I wish to adopt Harry. This past summer, once again, Harry found himself in grave danger. He lost every last family member he possessed, and had nowhere to go. I took him in, though mostly grudgingly, and I took care of him as best I could. Then the tables turned, and I was the one who was in need of care. Harry, along with my good friend and colleague Remus Lupin, nursed me back to health and assisted me in every way possible after I was almost killed. I grew to respect and appreciate Harry much more than ever before, and that respect turned into affection and fondness that I never thought myself capable of. He brought out a part of me long hidden and mostly dead, and made me feel alive again. I love Harry, and I want to do everything I can to help keep him safe and well cared for. Adoption is something that would both satisfy my need to care for Harry, as well as Harry's need for a proper guardian, who will take care of him the way he deserves."

There was a long pause while the Casewitch scribbled away on her clipboard, a soft smile on her face the only sign of any reaction to what the Potions Professor had just admitted. Severus could feel Harry trembling beside him, and he did the first thing he could think of to calm the boy; he grabbed for his hand and held it tightly and reassuringly in his hand. The trembling subsided almost immediately.

"So, Mr. Potter, do you concur with Professor Snape's story?" Mrs. Luther asked, glancing down at their joined hands with a subtle smile.

Harry took a deep breath, extremely grateful when Severus gave his hand a light squeeze. He could do this; all he had to do was be honest about how he felt. Like both Severus and Mrs. Luther had said, he couldn't lie or sugar-coat anything.

"Everything Severus said is true and right. This summer, I lost almost everything, including nearly losing my life. Severus provided me a home and medical care, as well as everything I would need: food, clothing, and even extra magical training. Even though we had never been very close as a student and Professor, we grew much closer and our relationship changed dramatically. Severus is my mentor and the person I go to for everything. I grew up without parents, or even affectionate guardians.

"My aunt and uncle were not very good people, and they were prejudiced against my magical background. They hated me, and never wanted me in their home, even if they did grudgingly provide me houseroom. Severus loves me and takes care of me like the father I never had. Even if this adoption doesn't go through for some reason, I will still think of Severus as my father, and I will still love him just the same. The adoption is important because it makes it official, it makes it real. We both deserve that."

This time, Mrs. Luther was staring at Harry, a slightly shocked look on her face as her quill hung limp in her hand. It was another few seconds before she snapped out of her reverie and started scrawling on her parchment once more. When she looked up, her smile was wider and warmer than it had been before.

"Well then, I think there are only a few more questions I need to ask before I'll be on my way to make my evaluation. It is clear that the both of you have thought long and hard about this decision, and there is no lack of love between the both of you. Though the Ministry is reluctant to let single parent adoptions take place, it is much different when the adoptee is nearly of age themselves, and the importance of this adoption does not seem rest on the fact that Harry needs a guardian, but it is symbolic and sentimental that it become official and legal that you become father and son.

"The last question I will ask of you, Harry, is how you feel about Severus' past association with the Dark Arts, and the group of terrorists who are the self-appointed Death Eaters."

The tension in the room became suddenly very noticeable and palpable. Harry felt Severus stiffen beside him, and it was his turn to squeeze the older man's had in his own to offer some sort of comfort. He turned back to Mrs. Luther and smiled.

"Everyone has their ways of dealing with emotional and physical trauma. Severus, much like myself, suffered at the hands of the people who were supposed to love and care for him as a young child. Years of abuse and mistreatment by those who surrounded him even while at school turned into indignation and anger. He turned to the wrong people for a reprieve, and took whatever acceptance he could get. Unfortunately, the only people who would welcome him with open arms were the Death Eaters and Voldemort. He made mistakes, as humans often do, and he has paid for them in kind ever since. He has turned his life around and changed his ways. Like a wise man once said, 'Everyone is stupid at fifteen'. I do not hold Severus' past against him, and I forgive him for once associating with the people who are now determined to see me dead."

Harry felt Severus squeeze his hand particularly hard and looked over at the Potions Professor, touched and slightly guilty to see the man holding back tears. He squeezed back and smiled when Severus finally met his eyes, glad to see the smile returned. They both jumped at the Casewitch cleared her throat pointedly.

"One more question, and I'll be out of your hair entirely. Professor Snape, as you know, the Ministry is a little prejudiced when it comes to single parent adoptions. They always prefer that the child have a steady, balanced home with both a male and female influence in their home life. You listed yourself as single, but sometimes prospective parents who have not married yet are simply still dating. Is there anyone you consider to be your significant other that could, perhaps in future, become a second parent to Harry?"

True to his form of being the best liar in the Wizarding world, Severus shook his head in the negative with a straight face. "No, I am not dating anyone at this time. I simply haven't had the time for any sort of romantic relationship. My life consists of my job as a Potions Master, and Harry's guardian."

Harry slowly released Severus' hand, folding his arms across his chest as a frown took over his features. This was the hardest part of the interview so far, he thought. It wasn't fair, and he hated that they had to lie about this. He became lost in his own head, so much that he didn't hear the Casewitch ask him a question.

"_...I want you to be honest when you answer..."_

"_I will not lie or sugar-coat anything. That is my one and only warning, and the one and only thing I ask in return from the both of you..."_

"...Harry? Are you alright, dear?"

Harry blinked and looked up, noticing that Mrs. Luther and Severus were both staring at him with a concerned expression. He shook his head slowly, meeting Mrs. Luther's eyes directly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your last question."

"I asked if you were ok with Severus remaining a single parent. You didn't seem to have a very good reaction to the situation. In fact, you look extremely uncomfortable," said Mrs. Luther, her expression one of slight suspicion and curiosity.

Harry panicked. He had no idea what he was supposed to say. If he couldn't lie, then he couldn't answer, and if he didn't answer, it would become automatically a suspicious situation. He blanched and looked pleadingly at Severus.

"I...uh...I don't really mind...I mean to say that..."

"I'm sorry Mrs. Luther, but I'm afraid I've asked too much of Harry when it comes to this specific topic. I regret to say that I have broken your only rule and I was dishonest with you. I am indeed in a relationship with someone, and to answer your other question again honestly, I hope they will be able to become Harry's second parent," Severus said barely above a whisper. He couldn't handle seeing Harry struggle with this. He'd asked Harry to lie unfairly, and he had to set things right himself. Unfortunately, Severus was afraid this would be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and ruin the chance for adoption.

Mrs. Luther wrote something down on her clipboard before looking up, a single eyebrow arched. There was no trace of her former warm smile. "Why, Professor Snape, would you lie about something as important as that, and how could you possibly ask Harry to go along with this lie? Clearly the boy is distressed about the entire situation."

"I was wrong to lie to you, and I was very wrong to ask Harry to lie. The reason is not good enough, but it is this; I was afraid the adoption would be immediately denied as soon as the identity of my significant other was learned. I was completely unfair to everyone involved when I made this decision, and I do sincerely apologize."

"I think the people you should apologize to are Harry and your significant other, who was disrespectfully treated like some dirty little secret. Just out of pure curiosity because of such dramatic circumstances, who on earth could you be associated with that would put the adoption in such jeopardy?" Adeline asked, almost afraid of the answer she would receive.

Severus swallowed the lump in his throat, his cheeks burning in shame. He wasn't ashamed of being with Remus, of course not. He was ashamed that he had forced the man out of the picture due to his own fears. Mrs. Luther had been completely right; he had treated Remus like some dirty little secret, and it wasn't fair.

"My lover is Remus Lupin, a male and also a registered werewolf."

Mrs. Luther's other eyebrow shot up to join the other among her dark curly hairline.

"Well, the secrecy is certainly understood now, I must say. As I said before, I will not lie or sugar-coat anything, so I must be honest when I say that the Ministry would surely hold such association against you. However, since Mr. Lupin is not your spouse, and cannot legally become your spouse at this time, his relationship to Harry is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is being homosexual is not illegal; therefore I cannot hold that against you. Also, dating a registered werewolf is also perfectly legal, so I cannot, in good standing, use that as a reason to deny you the chance to adopt this young man whom you clearly love and care for. What I am saying, Professor Snape, is that your fear is unfounded, and certainly unnecessary."

Adeline wrote one more sentence on her clipboard before standing up and extending her hand first to the Potions Professor, then to young Harry. "I appreciate your complete honesty, and I'll be sure to keep it in mind when making my evaluation. You should expect the answer of the Adoption Committee in a few week's time."

Severus stood, glad when Harry followed his lead; the boy really was a fast learner. He escorted the Casewitch to the door, politely opening it for her and giving a half bow. "Thank you, Mrs. Luther. We gladly await your answer. Have a pleasant afternoon."

"And you as well Professor, Mr. Potter. I bid thee a good farewell."

"And a good farewell we bid thee," Harry answered the traditional saying. It paid off to be best friends with the smartest witch in their year, after all.

Severus waited until Mrs. Luther had made it halfway down the hall before closing the door to their quarters and turning to Harry, an apology already on his lips.

"Don't. Please don't apologize, Severus. I should be the one to say sorry. I just panicked, I couldn't think of what to say – "

"Harry, stop!" Severus said firmly, properly cutting Harry's rambling apology off. He shook his head slowly. "I should never have asked you to lie for me, nor should I have ever allowed the opinions of other people to affect me so much. You were right the entire time; I've been horribly unfair to Remus, and I owe him an apology as well. I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry sighed and nodded, stepping closer to the Potions Master and hugging him tightly for a few seconds before pulling away. "I forgive you. It's a good thing Mrs. Luther was so open minded. We got lucky when they sent her to us."

"That we did. Now if you'll excuse me for a little while, I think I need to go apologize to Remus for being such a prat. I'm sure you're just dying to tell Draco everything, so go ahead," Severus said with a small smile as he opened the door, intending on heading up to the Defence corridor.

"Actually, Draco and I were wondering if we could go to Hogsmeade to do some holiday shopping. Neither of us has had the chance to do any yet," Harry said in a hopeful voice, putting on his best innocent expression.

"I don't think I'd be comfortable sending the two of you alone, even just to Hogsmeade, Harry," Severus said with an apologetic look. He hated to have to deny Harry his freedom, but it was simply still too dangerous.

"Oh, we wouldn't be alone! I asked Hagrid to escort us and stay with us the whole time, and he's agreed to come. Please, Severus?" Harry asked in earnest.

Severus sighed, his emotions warring with each other until he finally gave in to Harry's pleading look and gleaming, beautiful green eyes full of hope. "Well since you seem to have it all planned out and Hagrid has agreed to go with you, I guess it would be fine. Just be careful, and please be back before dinner."

"Thanks Sev!" Harry beamed as he gave Severus another hug before heading off to his room to put on something more comfortable to walk around Hogsmeade. He of course had to grab his money pouch as well.

Severus watched the young Gryffindor tear off to his room, smiling to himself as he left their quarters and made the long journey up to the Defence corridor. He paused outside the door to Remus' office, trying to gather his thoughts and prepare how he was going to apologize. Just as he was about to knock, the door opened and Remus was there, smiling widely at his lover. It was like seeing the sun come out after a horrible storm.

"Severus! I was just about to head down for tea in the staff room, but I'll gladly take it with you instead. Come in," Remus said, dragging Severus in by the hand and closing the door behind him. He walked over to the door connecting his office to his quarters, which had been mostly abandoned in favour of spending his time in the dungeons with Severus and Harry.

"So, how did it go? Was she a stuffy old coot, or did you get one of the nicer ones? I knew a woman about ten years ago who worked in the Department, and she said you get all variety of Caseworkers in there. I assume it went well, since you seem to be in a fairly good mood – Severus, are you alright?"

Severus had paused in the doorway to Remus' quarters, a soft smile of adoration on his face as he watched the man he loved bustle around, preparing tea and chatting away. He blinked as Remus questioned him, shaking his head to clear it.

"I'm sorry, Remus."

"Oh it's alright, you're probably just distracted and nervous from the interview still. Come – "

"No, Remus, I mean I'm sorry for being such an idiot. I should never have tried to hide our relationship from the Ministry. It's not fair to you at all, and Harry was completely right to be upset with me about it. Regardless if you understood why I thought I needed to do it, it wasn't right. You shouldn't have to be my dirty little secret. I love you, and I want the world to know it."

Severus moved into the room, pulling Remus close to him even as the werewolf tried to insist that he had nothing to apologize for. He pressed his lips firmly to Remus', loving how this simple act could turn his lover to butter in his arms. He pulled away and stared directly into the werewolf's eyes.

"Move to the dungeons with Harry and I. Move in with us for real instead of just spending the nights there. I want you there with me, and I don't care what anyone thinks. I told the Casewitch about you, and she as good as told me that there will be no problems because of it. You belong with Harry and I."

"I...Severus, you _told_ her? You didn't have to do that! What if...oh, Merlin, if the adoption is denied because of me I'll just die, Severus. I can't believe you – "

Severus cut off Remus' rambling with another kiss, lingering this time until he felt the tension melt from the werewolf's body. He reluctantly pulled away as the need to breathe became too great.

"If Dumbledore has no qualms about it, I would love to move into your quarters, Severus. Now tell me how the interview went!" Remus insisted as he sat down on the sofa and pulled Severus down with him, grabbing for a cup of tea.

Severus smiled as he took up another cup of tea and sipped from it before going into an explanation. Remus had agreed to move in with him; nothing could ruin this day.

S~S~S~S

The air outside was bitterly cold, the sky a dark gray that threatened heavy snowfall. Despite the weather, Harry, Draco and Hagrid were merrily walking along the main street of Hogsmeade, sipping at hot cocoa as they looked at the shop windows, stopping here and there when they saw something they thought someone would like.

As they passed the display of Quality Quidditch Supplies, Draco let out a deep sigh, frowning into his cup of cocoa.

"Are you ok, Draco?" Harry asked as he examined the newest model of racing broom currently on sale; The Falcon. Harry had been slightly concerned about Draco throughout the whole trip, glancing at him every once in a while as the blonde sighed dramatically.

Draco nodded as he avoided looking at window display of Scrivenshaft's, trying to ignore the handsome peacock feather quill set he knew his mother would have loved. He'd been excited to buy gifts for the few people he could remember in his life, but hadn't thought about how hard it would be to not be able to buy gifts for the people he had lost.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I just...I never thought it would be so hard, _not_ shopping for my mum or dad. I see so many things they would like, but then I remember they can never have those things. It's like its fresh...even if I grieved before, I don't remember it, and so I'm grieving again. I'm sorry; I don't mean to be such a black cloud."

As if on cue of Draco's words, soft flakes of puffy white snow began to fall from the dark clouds above them, settling in their hair and on their sweaters and scarves. Harry smiled at Draco and pulled him close for a hug and quick kiss.

"It's ok, love. You're not being a black cloud. I know how you feel, trust me I do. Maybe you could write to your father. He won't be able to receive a gift, but maybe hearing from you will be a gift enough for him. As for your mum...well, maybe you can't actually place a gift in her hands, but I think I might know a way you could still give her something," said Harry, feeling his nerves kick in as Draco gave him a curious look.

"Oh and how could I possibly do that?" Draco asked, his tone sceptical and his expression slightly confused. What on earth was Harry talking about?

"You could have a memorial erected for her. It doesn't have to be anything huge, just something special; something that you can go to and remember her when you need to."

Draco stood staring at the Gryffindor for a long time before he threw himself into Harry's arms. He took a deep breath, breathing in Harry's unique scent and he suddenly felt very peaceful. "You're brilliant, Harry. I have the perfect idea; I just need to talk Dumbledore and Professor Sprout."

Harry smiled and nodded bemusedly, wondering what the Herbology Professor had to do with anything. He pulled away and headed towards the door of Scrivenshaft's. "Come on; let's see if we can find anything in here for Remus."

S~S~S~S

The dungeon quarters were strangely quiet for the number of people who were there. Harry sat down his bags of shopping as he realized Hermione had been crying, her face buried in Remus' shoulder, Severus sitting on the other side of the werewolf, rubbing his back slowly. He felt his heart sink as he figured it all out on his own.

"When?" Harry asked as he walked over and knelt in front of Hermione, taking one of her trembling hands in his own. He looked over to Severus, who was also clutching a scroll of parchment in the hand that wasn't currently comforting his lover.

"Just a few hours ago. Molly apologizes for not coming to inform us right away, but they felt the need to sit with him for a time to let it sink in. She sent this letter; you can read it if you want," Severus said, handing the scrolled parchment out to Harry, who took it, but made no move to read it.

"Harry? Are...are you ok?" Draco asked from behind, feeling like he was intruding on a personal family moment. He didn't belong here, he knew it, but he wanted to make sure Harry would be ok.

Harry stood up and walked slowly over to Draco, not saying a word as he slipped his arms around him and pulled Draco close, resting his head on his shoulder. "Why does everyone I love die?" Harry whispered, causing Draco's throat to constrict as he held the Gryffindor close. He knew he was the only one who heard Harry whisper, so he didn't respond out of respect.

"The funeral will be on Saturday. Remus will escort you and Ms. Granger to the Burrow. I'm sorry I cannot be there with you, Harry, but it would be far too dangerous. Who knows what kind of trouble I would attract if I were to attend," Severus said, his tone solemn and apologetic as he frowned at Harry.

Harry nodded as he pulled away from Draco just enough to be able to see Severus. "So I guess it would be pointless to ask if Draco could come."

Severus sighed and shook his head, only noticing then that Remus had grown quite stiff under his massaging hand. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Can I talk to you in private, Severus?" Remus asked as he slowly peeled Hermione away from his chest. The Gryffindor had properly cried herself into fitful sleep. He laid her gently down across the couch as he stood up, pulling Severus back into the bedroom they now shared.

"Are you alright, Remus?"

"No, I'm not. I don't think I can go to the funeral with Harry. I just...it's too much for me to handle right now, Severus, what with the full moon the day after Christmas. It's too much grief." The werewolf was leaning with his back against the door, his hands scrubbing tiredly at his scruffy cheeks. He had no desire whatsoever to be anywhere near a funeral, not since the last time he attended one, he proverbially buried his husband.

"Remus, please; you know I cannot go. Harry needs you right now. You'll have your Wolfsbane for the full moon. Please don't do this to me now," Severus pleaded, cupping Remus' cheek in his palm. He knew what this was about, but he had no desire to fight with his lover over Black right now.

Remus sighed heavily, knowing he was probably promising something he couldn't stick to. He nodded slowly, allowing himself to be pulled into a kiss. "Ok...I'll go. I'll take Harry and Hermione."

"Thank you."

S~S~S~S

Harry didn't have the heart to wake Hermione up and send her to her dorm, so he pulled out an extra blanket and carefully laid it over her. He was just about to turn away to tell Draco goodnight when Hermione woke up, blinking tiredly through her messy curls.

"Harry? I must have fallen asleep, I'm sorry," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up and let the blanket fall into a bundle in her lap.

Harry turned back and sat down beside her on the sofa, grasping her shoulder in a comforting gesture. He hadn't spent much time with Hermione this year due to the fight with Ron, but in that moment he realized how very much he missed her.

"It's alright. You can sleep down here if you want, Severus doesn't mind. I was just about to go tell Draco goodnight. I'll be right back, ok?"

Hermione nodded as she covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. "Go on, get your goodnight kiss," she said with a quiet giggle, dodging the pillow that Harry tossed her way.

Draco was still standing in the doorway, chuckling at Harry's blush as they walked out and down the hall together to Draco's personal room. Draco whispered the password to the portrait protecting his room, but didn't enter. He smirked as Harry pulled him close and pressed his lips gently against his own, trailing his hand through his soft golden locks.

"Are you sure you're alright, Harry?" Draco asked quietly, moving a stray lock of messy black hair out of the Gryffindor's eyes. He hadn't had a moment alone with Harry yet, and he'd been dying to make sure he was ok.

Harry sighed as he leaned into the Slytherin's touch. He'd been very upset earlier, and he hadn't thought about what he'd said at the time. Now he realized that he might have been a bit dramatic, but it wasn't a false statement, either. Harry seemed to be plagued with death all around him.

"Yeah, I'm alright now. I was just...really upset. The last thing I said to Arthur...I was such a prat to him. I never got to apologize to him, either. It just seems like every time I lose someone, there's always something left unsaid, and I'll never have the chance now."

Pulling Harry close to him once more, Draco kissed him gently, lingering against his lips to offer some sort of comfort. He felt a wetness on his cheeks that was not his own tears, and he pulled away to dry Harry's eyes.

"I'm sure he knew you were under a lot of stress, and that you never meant for your words to hurt him. You can't beat yourself up over this, love. You've got to let it go, so you can mourn with everyone else, and then start to move on. You'll be alright, Harry. The Weasleys love you; I'm sure they won't hold any grudges against you," Draco assured his – his what? Maybe it was time they finally defined what they were.

"Harry...We never really officially asked each other out, so...can I call you my boyfriend?"

Harry felt his stomach do a flip. Draco was right, neither one of them had asked the other out, it just sort of happened. He smiled at the idea of calling Draco his boyfriend, even though only a few months ago, that thought probably would have made him laugh himself silly. He nodded as he leaned in and kissed Draco once more. "Yeah, you can call me your boyfriend, but only if I can call you mine."

It was another ten minutes before Harry came back into the dungeon quarters, his hair a bit more messy than it was when he left. His blush and small smile were enough to make Hermione giggle until her eyes watered. He flopped down on the sofa beside Hermione, laughing when she rolled her eyes at him.

"There's no denying it now, Harry. You're smitten."

Harry tried to hide his darkening blush, but then thought better of it. He wasn't ashamed of his relationship with Draco; there was no reason to hide it. If Severus and Remus could be more open about it, then why couldn't he and Draco? He smiled at Hermione and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Who would have thought, eh? If you would have told me a year ago that I'd be over the moon for Draco Malfoy, I'd have told you to get your head examined by Madam Pomfrey. He's just so different now. But to be quite honest, I started fancying him before the accident this summer. When he showed up at the cottage, he wasn't the same Draco Malfoy we knew before. He's been through a lot, Hermione, stuff I can't even tell you. Severus doesn't even know parts of it, but I can't tell him. I can't tell anyone. He needs me, and I need him. I just don't see anything wrong with that."

"There isn't anything wrong with that, I agree, Harry. I just think you should both be careful. He may seem perfectly normal now, but he's still healing, he's still slowly getting his memories back. I'd say not to devote yourself to him because things could change really fast, but I fear it's much too late for that. The only thing you can do now is just be there for him, even if it starts to get a bit rough as his memory comes back," said Hermione, offering Harry a warm smile.

"I missed you. This year has been kind of crazy," Harry said with a frown. He'd been so wrapped up in Draco that he hadn't really made time for Hermione in his life. He'd make sure he'd do better.

"When isn't the year crazy, Harry? If you're here, it'll be crazy. I've missed you too. I'm sorry about all the trouble with Ron. Maybe now he'll rethink his views. Professor Snape obviously cares about you, and so does Draco. How could Ron begrudge you the chance to be happy and finally have a family of your own? Sometimes I just can't believe how naive and selfish he can be," Hermione said, her facing going red in ager as she twisted the blanket around in her hands distractedly.

Harry reached over and pulled the abused material out of her hands, letting his hand linger against hers for a few seconds. "His intentions are good, or at least he thinks they are. He's stubborn, but only because he cares. Things will probably change now, though I'm not looking forward to telling him that Draco is my boyfriend. We'll just take it one day at a time, and hope that he finally realizes how much of a prat he's being."

Hermione sighed heavily and smiled softly at Harry, her eyes over bright, but still dry. She leaned over and hugged her best friend tight, lingering for a few long seconds before pulling away and kissing Harry on the cheek. "Thanks, Harry; you always know what to say. I guess we should both get some sleep. The next few days are going to be rough."

Harry frowned as he nodded solemnly. Hermione had never said anything more true in her life. He stood up and bid her goodnight, all the while thinking to himself, "_Yeah, Christmas is going to be awfully gloomy this year."_

S~S~S~S

"I don't think I can go, Severus," Remus whispered against his lover's chest as they lay in bed together, post-coital and exhausted. He traced a lazy pattern on Severus' bare chest, loving being able hear the gentle _thump-thump_ of his heartbeat right below his ear.

"Harry will need you there, Remus. You know I cannot attend because of the danger I would be putting everyone in, and Harry will need someone to lean on, someone other than his friends." Severus' arm was wrapped securely around Remus' waist, holding him tightly against him as their sweat slicked bodies cooled rapidly in the already over-moist air of the dungeons.

They had discussed this already the same night of Arthur's death. It had gone without saying that it would not be safe for Severus to go to the funeral, but Harry had planned on having Remus there with him, and Severus refused to let the boy go without an adult guard. Molly would be much too busy grieving over her husband and comforting her own children to pay too much attention to Harry's safety, which was quite understandable.

Remus, however, had been adamant that he did not want to attend the funeral. He had explained it as it being just too much for him to handle, but Severus was not a stupid man; he knew it had _everything_ to do with Sirius Black.

There had been no body to bury when Black had died, but there had been a memorial service held anyways, and a headstone placed in Godric's Hollow. Severus had grudgingly attended, not wanting to disappoint Dumbledore or seem horribly disrespectful to Remus. If he was honest with himself, he had already held a soft spot for Remus even back then. When had he gone so damn soft?

Remus had been devastated with Black's death. They had been lovers off and on since their Hogwarts years, and even went as far as a Joining of the Souls bonding ceremony mere months before the Animagus fought his final battle. It was understandable that Remus would be terribly uncomfortable at a funeral, but _no one_ liked attending such things. Yes, it would bring painful memories back up to the surface, but Remus was not the only one to have lost a loved one; he would not be the only one reminded of another death, of another funeral that hit much closer to home than a fellow Order member or friend.

"I would hardly make a good escort for Harry, Severus. I would be so distracted, I'm afraid I'd let my guard down and something would happen. There's bound to be some sort of trouble, what with that many Order members gathering, and Arthur's death was not exactly a secret to the Wizarding world. After his promotion, he became an extremely important man; that _Prophet_ article will be just the tip of the dung heap, mark my words," Remus said in a matter-of-fact voice, thoroughly irritating Severus and ruining the after-glow of a wonderful night.

"Do not pretend like you would be irresponsible or stupid enough to _ever_ allow Harry to be in danger. Even when Black fell, you made sure you held Harry back from going after him. Do not _lie_ to me, Lupin," Severus snapped, knowing the comment about Black could well get him hexed or punched. He didn't much care at this point; in his opinion, Remus was being completely irrational. If worse came to worse, Severus would polyjuice into Remus himself and attend, letting the werewolf sulk by himself at home.

Remus clenched his eyes closed as his breath caught painfully in his chest. Severus was right, _too_ right, and Remus felt horrible for trying to use Harry as a scapegoat. The loss of his long time lover was still so fresh, so raw that Remus had chosen to ignore it and push it away completely so he didn't have to feel the grief. But without grief, there was no healing. Even after everything that he and Severus had been through, he still mourned his dead lover like Sirius had died yesterday.

"I'm sorry, you're right, Severus. I shouldn't have said that about Harry; of course I would never let Harry come to any harm. I just...Oh, Merlin, I can't talk to you about this," Remus said in a pained voice as he extricated himself from Severus' arms and began looking for his clothes that had ended up strewn across the room. He found his shorts and tugged them on as he stood up, reaching for his trousers that were hanging from the desk chair.

"Where are you going, you live here now, remember? And why can't you talk to me about it?" Severus said angrily as he sat up in bed, making no move to dress himself, just simply pulling the duvet over his chilled body as he watched Remus button up his shirt and look around for his socks.

Remus stopped casting around for his other sock and looked up at Severus. "You hated Sirius, and with good reason, I'll give you that. But nothing I say about him will matter to you, Severus. I don't expect your sympathy on the matter at all, but I do wish for understanding, which I know you cannot give because of the relationship between you and Sirius.

"I can sit here and tell you how broken I feel every time I think of him till I turn blue in the face, but you won't care, and I hardly expect you to. So I'll make things easier by not saying anything at all, because I'm sure you can guess everything I would say anyways, so there's no need for me to even bother."

There was a long silence as the two men simply stared at each other. Remus had not continued his search for his sock, and Severus had thrown back the duvet and reached for his shorts to pull them on. Once he was at least partially covered, Severus stood up and moved towards Remus, pulling the single sock out of the man's hand and tossing it aside as he pulled Remus close to him.

"I may not have ever been fond of Black, but I _do_ care that you're still so upset about his passing. This isn't about _my_ feelings towards Black, it's about yours. As much as I didn't like the man, I can understand that you loved him, and losing him hurt more than you could ever explain. I would never begrudge you your grief, Remus, no matter my feelings towards the person you are grieving for.

"As for feeling broken – well, I can try everything in my power to put you back together again, and I will learn how, eventually. I know I can never take the place of Sirius in your heart; you'll always hold him there, no matter what. All I ask is that you make room for me, and stop assuming I'll cast aside your feelings when it comes to this kind of thing. I _do_ love you, Remus; please do not doubt that."

Remus had wrapped his arms around Severus automatically and rested his head on the man's shoulder. Warm, salty tears splashed onto Severus' bare shoulder and trailed down his back and chest as the werewolf let go some of his pent up emotions. "I love you too, Severus. I'm sorry I can't give you all of me..."

"I will take whatever you are willing to give, and I offer myself completely in return," Severus whispered, holding tightly to the man in his arms. When Remus had first come on to him, Severus never thought it could have worked because of their past, and like he had told Remus before, he had been afraid to let himself fall in love. But as Severus stood there, holding the man he loved in his arms as he cried, he couldn't imagine his life without Remus in it from then on.

S~S~S~S

The weather was appropriately drab as Remus, Harry, and Hermione arrived with their portkey in hand. The Burrow looked strangely empty and sad, almost as if the house was mourning like a part of the family that lived within. A few other people had already arrived, trekking across the long field and making their way through the back gate of the Burrow's garden.

A large canopy had been set up, squaring off a large part of the backyard. There were no seats or elaborate pedestals from which to make speeches, just a quaint black casket set upon a high altar, pleasant blue and white flowers surrounding it. Underneath a tarp, hidden behind the altar was a deep hole, dug by hand as was a tradition in the Weasley family and most Pure-blooded Wizard families who didn't use mausoleums to house their deceased.

Molly and her six children stood by the back door of the Burrow, waiting for the mourners to arrive and greeting them solemnly as the group grew larger. It was a private funeral, by invitation only – hence the special portkeys. What with Arthur's recent promotion, many people had contacted the Weasleys about funeral arrangements, but only those closest to the family and the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement were allowed.

Molly smiled sadly through her tears as Harry and Hermione approached, Remus standing a few feet behind them. She gathered both of the teens into a tight hug, patting their backs and telling them not to cry too much for Arthur; they were to celebrate his life, not mourn his loss. No one was wearing all black, but everyone had on many different shades and styles of dress robes. Wizarding funerals differed from Muggles in that they focused on the deceased's life, not their death.

"Thank you for coming, all of you," Molly said as she gave Remus a quick hug as well. She ushered them to the side to stand with the rest of her children, even though they had insisted on lingering with the other guests instead of intruding on the family's territory. Molly scolded them quite nicely until they agreed to stand as part of the family.

"Hey, Harry," Ginny said quietly, smiling softly at him. She obviously still felt bad about how she and Ron had treated him recently, but Harry wouldn't bring that up now.

"Hey, Gin. Holding up alright?" Harry asked quietly as Hermione gave Ron a lingering hug, trying to fight off more tears as Ron stroked her hair back. Harry had a feeling they'd be getting back together soon.

Ginny's eyes welled with tears as she shook her head. A small sob escaped her throat as she hugged Harry, burying her face in his chest. "You called me 'Gin'."

Harry didn't know what to do other than hug her back, rubbing her back soothingly. He looked to his left and saw Fred and George leaning against one another, obviously gaining comfort from their twin. Bill and Charlie were greeting other guests, and of course, Percy was not there. Harry felt more saddened than ever by that fact.

The soft murmur of conversation had gone suddenly quiet, making all the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Remus turn to see what had happened. A noise like a wailing infant broke the silence as Molly spotted Percy walking through the field and entering through the garden gate. She took off at a run faster than most thought her capable of, nearly knocking her third eldest son to the ground as she engulfed his lanky frame in a tight, tearful hug.

"Oh, Percy!"

The other Weasley children didn't move. Harry looked around and saw six identical glares pointed directly at Percy, the rage practically radiating from the siblings. Ron had let go of Hermione, and Ginny had pushed herself away from Harry. Had it not been extremely serious and saddening, they way they all pulled their wands at the same time would have been quite humorous. It was so obvious that the Weasleys were very close-knit, which just made the fact that one of them had passed that much more horribly sad.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Ron snapped, being the only one irrational enough to express what his brothers and sister were thinking.

Percy looked up as Molly drew reluctantly away from her third born. He definitely looked quite dreadful. His eyes were blood shot, he had lost too much weight, his skin was very sallow, and his hair seemed to just wither. His expression was deeply sad and pleading as he took a step towards his siblings.

"I'm so sorry...I wanted to come say goodbye to dad, I _needed_ to. I couldn't possibly live with myself if I didn't say goodbye one last time," he said quietly, eyeing all of their wands nervously as they seemed to surround him.

"You should have thought of that when you told dad he was insane for siding with Dumbledore about Voldemort's return. You don't deserve to say goodbye after what you put him through!" Fred snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. If it was one thing to see Fred or George in high rage, it was another to see them together, mad as hell.

"Stop it, all of you! Put your wands away _this instant_! You should be ashamed of yourselves," Molly hissed as she drew up beside Percy and wrapped an arm around his waist, as she was too short to wrap it around his shoulders.

"Percy made a mistake, but he's only human. Do you think if Dad were here, he would be proud of your foolish defence of him? Your father would _never_ begrudge one of his children the chance to pay their respects and say goodbye, no matter what had happened in the past. You would all do well to remember that Percy is still your brother, and he is still mine and your father's son, foolish mistakes aside. Dad would be so ashamed to see such hatred within his children. That's not how you were all raised!

"Isn't the death of your father enough to make you all see that there may not be _time_ to hold grudges? One of you could be next, _I_ could be next. What if it was Percy and you'd all never forgiven him, what then? Think about how you'd feel! Now imagine how Percy feels, never having been able to reconcile with Dad, then you tell him who doesn't deserve the chance to say goodbye."

The Weasley children were all properly chastised and well in tears. Six wands were slipped back into inner pockets, and a large group hug was initiated when Ginny launched herself at Percy, clinging to his robes as she cried she was sorry.

Shortly after, everyone gathered around the small marquee in the back garden, whispering their final goodbyes to Arthur as they added a single flower to the lid of his casket, each representing a different well-wish to take with him on the next journey. As was tradition, all the Weasley men and Harry (and Ginny, because Molly couldn't persuade her otherwise) lowered the casket into the pre-dug grave, and reburied it by hand. A headstone was placed flat into the earth, marking Arthur's final resting place forever more.

Afterwards, a wake was being held inside the Burrow, with lots of Molly's delicious cooking to go around. How the woman could manage to cook so much wonderful food while grieving for her husband, the world would never know.

Harry was standing off to the side of the majority of the crowd, Remus and Hermione close by his side as they watched Percy catch up with the rest of the Weasleys from afar. Though Fred and George still looked at Percy like he was an overripe can of flobberworms every so often, the rest of the siblings seemed to have accepted Percy back quite easily. Molly was so glad to have her third eldest son there with them that she clung onto his arm and patted down his hair every few minutes, thoroughly annoying him, but not enough to make him comment on it.

Harry was just about to comment on this to Remus when there was quite a commotion at the fireplace, making the room fall silent almost immediately.

"All Magical Law Enforcement personnel are to report to Azkaban Fortress immediately! I suggest all other patrons quickly make it back to their homes and stay there until further notice. There's been a mass break-out, and there are high profile Death Eaters on the loose as we speak. Please act with the utmost caution and please do try to stay as calm as possible! I'm very sorry to have to interrupt, Molly."

The Auror that was speaking was one that Harry didn't recognize, but his combat robes were recognizable immediately. After a few seconds of silent shock, the room broke out into much chaos. Molly was slightly bewildered as upwards of twenty people all tried to apologize and say goodbye, some turning to the floo, while others traipsed out the back door and disapparated beyond the wards.

"Harry, Hermione – we should head back to Hogwarts now and inform Severus of what's happened, assuming he doesn't already know. I know you'd probably rather stay here with the Weasleys a bit longer, but I really think it would be best if we got back to Hogwarts, where it's a little bit safer," Remus said quickly, his panic mostly masked by his calm expression.

Harry sighed and nodded, leading the way over to the Weasleys so they could say a proper goodbye. "I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, but I think it's best if I returned to school. I wouldn't want to put you lot in anymore danger, just in case any of the Death Eaters decide to come looking for me here. I'll write to you, I promise, and I'm so sorry about Arthur."

Molly sniffled as she pulled Harry into a tight, tearful hug, mumbling her thanks and love all the while. She was obviously overwhelmed, so Harry moved on to the Weasley siblings, first hugging Ginny, then pausing as he and Ron made eye contact for the first time since Harry had first been informed of Arthur's illness.

"I'm really sorry about your dad, Ron," Harry said quietly, knowing the rest of the group was listening and waiting to see what would happen.

Ron swallowed hard and nodded, feeling extremely uncomfortable with so many eyes on him, even if they did belong to his family. "Yeah, me too. I guess I'll see you at school after break, then?" His tone was slightly hopeful, and his expression was contrite. This was clearly his way of apologizing without having to actually come out and say it.

The immense relief that Harry felt was almost palpable, and before Harry could respond in kind, Hermione had launched herself at Ron, hugging him so tight he could hardly breathe. After she released him, he didn't have much time to catch his breath before she was kissing him heartily on the lips, making most of the witnesses blush even deeper than Ron was himself. Once they separated, Harry had already said goodbye to the remaining Weasleys and was waiting with Remus by the floo.

"See you at school, mate," Harry said with a chuckle as he saw the bemused, elated and shocked expression on Ron's face.

"Uh huh, sure..." was Ron's detached, rambling answer.

"Come Harry, we must be quick with this information, especially if Severus is none the wiser yet." Remus glanced around nervously before leaning close to Harry's ear and whispering, "Lucius Malfoy was probably one of the escaped Death Eaters, Harry. He's probably making a hasty line towards Hogwarts to get to Draco."

The coloured drained from Harry's face even as Remus moved away and grabbed for the floo powder, placing a small amount in Harry's and Hermione's hands before taking a pinch himself. How could he have been so stupid and distracted not to have thought about Lucius Malfoy, and how Draco would probably be affected by this news? Turning back towards the floo, Harry waited for Remus, then Hermione to disappear into the flames before throwing his floo powder down amongst the ashes.

"Severus Snape's personal quarters, Hogwarts!"

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**A/N:** I know, I'm SO horrible with all the cliff hangers, but the next update will be sooner than you think. Please review!


	26. Abandoned Manor

**A/N: **Hey there! Well here's chapter two of three for December! I'm hoping and trying my hardest to be able to get the Christmas chapter out around Christmas, so expect one more chapter before the end of the year! Enjoy, and please review!

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**Ch 26.  
Abandoned Manor**

The floo roaring to life was quite unexpected so early in the afternoon. Severus had expected Harry to stay at the Wake longer than anyone else. As soon as he saw their faces, however, he knew something was terribly wrong. He set his book aside and stood up, his question in his expression.

"There's been a mass break-out from Azkaban. Most, if not all, of Voldemort's followers are on the loose, including Lucius Malfoy. He might well be making his way towards Hogwarts as we speak. I think it would be best if we informed Draco," said Remus, his expression grim and worried. He hated being the bearer of bad news, especially news as bad as this.

Severus was shocked into silence for a few seconds before he gathered himself and nodded curtly. "It would be better if Draco knew what to expect, just in case Lucius does try anything. I have no idea what he's been informed of; he may not even know that Narcissa was killed." He turned to Harry, who was white as a sheet and shaking slightly. A sudden surge of protectiveness took hold of him in that moment, so he moved forward and pulled his almost-son into a tight hug.

"I know you're worried, but you're safe here. You're all safe here. We won't let any harm come to any of you, including Draco."

"I'm not worried about myself, Sev. I'm worried about the Weasleys, and Draco, and you. They'll be coming after you too, for your betrayal. I can't lose any of you, I can't..." Harry buried his face in Severus' robes, taking as much comfort as he could from the man's strong embrace. He was overwhelmed, overemotional, and stressed to the core; he couldn't help but to fall apart in his soon-to-be father's arms.

"Calm yourself, child. You won't be losing anyone, no one is going anywhere. Come sit down for a few minutes; you've been through a lot today," Severus said in a quiet voice, leading Harry over to the sofa and pulling him down with him as he sat down. He bundled the Gryffindor close to him, gently running a hand through his messy hair. Severus looked up at Remus, who was making sure Hermione was calm and ok.

"Remus, can you please go to Draco's room and tell him we need to speak with him? The password is 'pumpkin pasties'."

A few minutes passed in complete silence. Harry was still curled up against Severus, his head leaning on his chest, and Hermione had taken up one of the armchairs, her eyes red rimmed and wide with fear. The door to the dungeon quarters opened once more, and Draco made a direct line to Harry. When Draco saw him curled up next to Severus, his expression grim, he sat down beside him and started rubbing his back.

Draco had no idea what was going on, other than something big had happened, and Harry was highly upset by it. He looked over at Severus expectantly, but it was Remus who spoke first.

"There's been a mass break-out from Azkaban, Draco."

The blood drained from the Slytherin's face, even as Harry grabbed one of his hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He squeezed back a little bit harder than was strictly necessary. He already knew what the break-out meant, but it was vocalized anyways.

"We're not sure of anything at this point, but there's some reason to believe your father may be making his way towards Hogwarts. There's no telling if he knows about your mother's murder or not, but suffice it to say that if he's unaware, there will be hell to pay when he finds out. Don't worry about coming to any harm; you're perfectly safe here. Just know that your father may attempt to seek you out or contact you in some way, and to be prepared for it."

Draco stared at the Defence Professor for a while before turning his attention back to Severus. "That's all good and well, but what am I supposed to do if he shows up or tries to contact me? Have we all forgotten I'm practically an invalid and don't know any defence at all?" Draco asked exasperatedly.

"You're not an invalid, Draco," Harry said heatedly. He extracted himself from the Potions Master's embrace and turned towards his boyfriend. "We'll start tutoring you, but I don't think you'll have to worry about your dad getting in the castle. We won't let anyone hurt you. _I_ won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Draco blushed slightly under Harry's intense gaze, but nodded that he knew better than to think he was in much danger in his current position. "I wish I could remember why I feel so afraid of my own father..."

There was a tense silence as Harry pulled Draco into a hug and just held him there, glad for Severus' presence beside him. Remus had perched himself on the arm of sofa on the other side of Severus, his hand grasping his lover's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"What we're trying to say is that you shouldn't worry about being in danger, but be prepared for some kind of attempt on your father's part. It is simply a warning to be cautious, that's all. We don't mean to worry or frighten you," Remus said reassuringly, glad when Severus reached up to grasp his hand appreciatively.

"I can start tutoring you during my free periods if you'd like. Perhaps if you start learning some more spells, you'll start to remember things. I know Healer Smithson said that familiar situations might help jog your memory, and it'll maybe distract you from thinking about your father too much," Hermione suggested with a tentative smile. She hadn't talked to Draco very much since he had been released from the infirmary, but now that she knew he was a permanent part of Harry life, she had to start getting to know him somehow.

"I think that's a very good idea. The rest of us will all help as well, whenever we have the free time to do so. Please don't worry yourself, Draco; everything will be fine," Severus reassured his godson, his expression one of determination.

Draco sighed deeply as he looked around at everyone. All these people were willing to help and protect him, and as alone as he felt before, he finally felt like he had a family again. He'd never see his mother again, and his father would probably end up in Azkaban once more, but these people around him were the ones who mattered now. He smiled faintly and nodded, looking mainly at Harry. "Thank you...all of you."

S~S~S~S

It was dark and cold when he walked in. The silence was to be expected, but the lack of greeting and warmth immediately boded ill. Before concerning himself with food, a shower, or decent clothing, he moved up the long spiralling staircase and down the hall, headed straight towards the large oak double doors at the end. This was it; he'd finally get to see her, after what seemed like forever. When he pushed the doors open and looked around hopefully, all he saw was an empty, abandoned room.

Struggling down the hall towards the library, he realized he would soon have to succumb to the need for food and water. The few things he had managed to scrounge for right after the break-out were not enough to sustain even the frailest of infants, let alone a middle aged man who had been denied sustenance for so long.

The doors to the library were open, which was distinctly unusual. She'd always had perfect manners, and even when they escaped her, the house elves were there to make up for it. He slipped in through the small opening, sickened that he was so withered he could fit without moving the door open more.

The fire hadn't been lit in some time. There were no candles burning low, the shades were drawn and the room was definitely empty. His panic reached a crescendo as he turned to the tapestry and saw all the blood. His heart pounded, his breath coming in sharp gasps as he moved towards the tapestry, his eyes scanning the blood spray on the fabric of the family tree, the walls around it, and the dark, dried pool on the ground. It spread nearly six feet around in diameter. Somebody had died here. Somebody had died a horrible, heinous death in his esteemed library, and all he could think of was which one it was; his wife, or his son?

Just as he was about to turn to leave the library to investigate more, something caught his eye by the foot of his favourite armchair. He knelt down and reached under, his hand closing over something small, cold and round. He held up his hand, palm up, and stared at the diamond and emerald ring. For a few seconds, the only sound he could hear was the blood rushing through his veins, his heart pounding as his anger and sorrow battled for dominance in his heart and mind. Then there was a horrible, heart wrenching sob and a howl of sheer pain as he closed his hand over the ring, squeezing so hard he could feel the little jewels draw blood from his palm.

His wife had been murdered, and somebody would have to pay. There was no question as to who had done this, had taken his wife away from him. The Dark Lord never was one for theatrics or blood baths; he always preferred the clean and swift Killing curse. No, Narcissa Malfoy had not been killed at the hands of Lord Voldemort. The bloody mess was the well known signature of someone else he knew, someone who was very close to Narcissa. This was the work of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Still clutching the ring so tightly that it was painful, Lucius quickly stood and rushed from the room, heading towards his personal study. When he reached the room, he went straight to the portrait of his great grandfather, and pried the frame from the wall. A safe was built into the wall; a _Muggle_ safe. He quickly spun the dial, his hands shaking as he heard the loud click that told him he'd gained access. He pulled the lever and opened the door, reaching in and pulling out the slender black box that contained his great grandfather's wand. There were a few extra wands in the house, but none of them worked as well for him as this one. Replacing the box, he pulled out the pouch of Galleons he kept in the house, just in case of an emergency. It was quite a bit of money, so he only took about two-thirds of the gold, leaving the pouch in the safe. He closed the heavy metal door and armed it once more, replacing the portrait over the opening in the wall.

He headed back to the master bedroom, trying not to hope that Narcissa would appear in the room and welcome him with open arms. He took a quick shower, rinsing the filth and disgust of Azkaban from his skin. He used a hair cutting charm to fix his matted and too long hair, making sure to get it as clean as possible. It lacked the shine it once possessed in his youth, but it was better than the mass of dirty, nappy hair he had gained in Azkaban.

The large walk-in closet was full to bursting with robes of every variety you could imagine, with all colours and styles under the sun. He picked a simple black one, then reached for his favourite green cloak. As he walked over to the full length mirror at the back on the closet, he was shocked to see himself looking so..._normal_. Except for his diminished appearance from near starvation, he almost resembled his old self.

He took a quick meal in the kitchens, a little lost in his own home without the help of his house elves. He had no idea where the creatures had gone, but he hoped they had fled to safety rather than being killed in much the same fashion his wife had been. The food he was chewing tasted like ash, and he only forced himself to swallow it out of necessity for his health and energy. The pepper-up potion he had taken after his shower would not hold him over forever.

Back in his study, he pulled out a clean sheet of parchment from the drawer dedicated to his personal stationary and dipped a quill into the pot of ink at the head of the desk. It was short, concise, and to the point. He couldn't let Draco see his fear or sorrow; he had to maintain the mask he'd always worn. It wouldn't do to let his son see him so weak.

'_Draco,_

_I'm sure you've been informed of my escape from Azkaban already. You know where I am currently, but I will not linger here. I have learned of your mother's death, and I wished to make sure that you were alive and well at Hogwarts. A letter addressed to me will find me wherever I go, so do send a reply. I've no idea of anything that has happened since my imprisonment, so a short description of the current situation in the Wizarding world would be welcome. Do not hesitate to reply; I await your letter._

_Lucius Malfoy'_

He opened the window of his study and leaned out, whistling into the darkness. It took a few minutes, but a large eagle owl came flying out of the forest which lay beyond the Manor and flew to window, landing heavily on his outstretched arm. He attached the letter and whispered to the owl, "Take this to my son."

As he watched the owl fly off into the distance, he gasped as a familiar pain assaulted him. He looked down at the Mark on his arm, black and angry from the Summons. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, turning on the spot and apparating straight through the heavy wards to his Master's side.

S~S~S~S

Harry sat up quickly in bed as he heard a loud crash. It sounded like it had come from the sitting room. He grabbed his wand from the bedside table as he slipped his glasses on, pulling the blankets back as he slowly and carefully got out of bed. Slipping the door to his room open, he peaked out, but it was too dark to see very far down the hall. He opened the door wider and slipped through, hearing a sharp intake of breath behind him. He whipped around and nearly panicked as a hand clapped firmly over his mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief as Severus' held a finger up to his lips, indicating that Harry needed to be quiet when he removed his hand. He pointed firmly to the spot where Harry was standing, and it was clear that he was not to move from that spot.

Severus slunk quietly down the hall, his wand raised in front of him. Upon entrance to the sitting room, his eyes quickly scanned for the source of the crash. A picture frame had fallen from the mantle of the fireplace, laying in pieces on the flagstone floor. His heart nearly jumped through his throat as a large eagle owl gave a loud cry from the back of his armchair, making him wince horribly. He squinted at the letter attached to the owl's leg and felt a heavy sense of foreboding; it was addressed to Draco, and that most definitely Lucius Malfoy's flowing script.

"Harry, it's alright. It's just an owl," Severus called behind him as he lowered his wand and moved towards the owl to retrieve the letter. He cursed as the owl nipped sharply at his finger, refusing to give up the letter to anyone but Draco.

Harry came up behind the Potions Master, his wand lit and pointed at the large owl sitting on the back of Severus' favourite armchair. He sighed in relief, glancing over to the broken picture frame. "Who's it addressed to?"

Severus swallowed and gave Harry a significant look. "Draco. Please go wake him up for me; the owl refuses to give the letter to anyone but him," Severus said as he wiped the little bit of blood from his finger. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to glare at Remus.

"A little jumpy are we, love? What's going on?"

Severus rolled his eyes as he watched Harry leave their quarters to go fetch Draco like he had been asked. "Sorry if I woke you. There was a loud crash, so I came to investigate. I'm surprised you didn't hear it too. Harry woke up as well."

"What is it with you and impatient owls, eh? They just can't wait until morning," Remus said with a chuckle, brushing his hand across Severus' cheek.

"It's not for me this time. It's addressed to Draco. From his father," said Severus, his expression dark and, if you knew what to look for, slightly worried.

"That's not good..." Remus mumbled.

Harry gave the password to the portrait protecting Draco's room and slipped inside. He moved over to the bed, smiling at the form of his sleeping boyfriend, even through his worry about what the letter contained. He looked so calm and peaceful; he hated to have to wake him up. He reached out and gently shook the blonde's shoulder.

"Draco, wake up."

Draco's eyes fluttered open, blinking blearily up at Harry, his eyebrows knit in confusion. "Harry? What's wrong?"

"A letter came for you just now. The owl ended up in our quarters for some reason. I think it's from your father but I'm not sure. It won't give the letter to anyone but you, so Sev told me to come wake you."

Draco sat bolt upright, completely wide awake now. He could tell Harry was trying not to act so worried for his sake, but he was feeling slightly panicky himself. He took a deep breath to calm himself and crawled out of bed, grabbing his dressing gown to throw over his night clothes.

"Why would it come in the middle of the night, to your quarters?" Draco asked with a bemused expression as the two teens headed back into the Potions Master's quarters. He didn't know exactly how he felt about hearing from his father. His emotions were a little skewed because he still couldn't remember rather large chunks of his life. It was beyond disconcerting, but things did come back every now and then. He just needed to be patient.

Harry shrugged as he rubbed his tired eyes. "I have no idea, really. Maybe it tried to go to you, but the wards on your rooms stopped it. There's the owl," he said, pointing needlessly to the large eagle owl still perched on Severus' armchair.

Draco gasped as he recognized the owl; his father's owl, Caligo. He approached the owl cautiously at first, but was glad when the owl gave a soft chirp and flew over to gently land on his outstretched arm.

"Hey girl, haven't see you in a long time. What've you got for me, eh?" Draco softly cooed at the owl, gaining strange looks from the other people in the room. He carefully smoothed down the feathers on Caligo's back, smiling to himself. He slipped the scroll out of the sling attached to the owl's leg, distracting the owl by cooing at her and petting her. He slowly handed the scroll to Harry, who took it wordlessly.

Harry felt a sort of thrill when he realized that Draco remembered this owl, he knew who she was. He was starting to remember more and more, and as much as that scared him, he also wanted Draco to have all of his memories back. He held the scroll close to him as Draco placed the owl back on the armchair, giving her one last pet before moving back towards Harry.

"If you don't distract her before you take the scroll, she's liable to take a finger off. She's a little too protective of her post," Draco said in way of explanation when he noticed the strange looks he was getting. He took the scroll from Harry and slit the green wax seal, his breath hitching just a bit as he saw his father's familiar, flowing script. He felt Harry sidle up beside him to read the letter over his shoulder.

'_Draco,_

_I'm sure you've been informed of my escape from Azkaban already. You know where I am currently, but I will not linger here. I have learned of your mother's death, and I wished to make sure that you were alive and well at Hogwarts. A letter addressed to me will find me wherever I go, so do send a reply. I've no idea of anything that has happened since my imprisonment, so a short description of the current situation in the Wizarding world would be welcome. Do not hesitate to reply; I await your letter._

_Lucius Malfoy'_

Draco read through it twice before handing it off to Severus and Remus, a heavy sense of relief making his shoulders sag. He shared a look with Harry, but they both remained silent as the two Professors read the letter.

"Well that was hardly anything to worry over, I guess, but you never know when it comes to Lucius Malfoy," Severus said, handing the scrolled parchment back to his godson.

"Should I write back? How much should I tell him?"

Remus had already pulled out quill, ink and parchment, placing it all on the desk in the corner and directing Draco to sit down. The other three all hovered around him, and he shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny.

"Tell him you're safe, but you had an accident over the summer. You're slowly regaining your memory, but things are still quite fuzzy. Try not to mention Harry, or how he relates to the accident. Be sure to tell him that he's unwelcome here. He already knows anyways, so you can include the fact that you're in my custody now. I think that should do it," Severus said, watching as Draco elaborated a bit and fleshed the letter out. He waited for the ink to dry before lifting it from the desk and reading it once more.

'_Father,_

_I am alive and mostly well here at Hogwarts. However, at the end of the summer I was attacked, by some of your colleagues nonetheless, and I was in a coma for nearly three months. When I awoke, I'd lost nearly all of my memory. Since then I've been getting it back pretty slowly, and a lot of it is still a little unclear to me at this time, but my Healer assures me that my memory should come back in full eventually. _

_Please, whatever you do, don't come to the castle. It will only cause more harm than not, and you've no business here. Forgive me if I am out of line, but things have been mostly quiet around here, and I prefer it to stay that way. I'm sure I'll see you when the summer begins, somehow. As of right now, Severus has custody of me as my godfather. He's taken good care of me, and is even paying for the Healer and hospital bills and everything. I'm safe, so there's no need to worry._

_As I've mentioned before, I'm suffering from sudden onset amnesia, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about what's going on in the Wizarding world. I'm sure you can found out some other way._

_I hope you're well, wherever you are. Merry Christmas, Father._

_Your son,_

_Draco Malfoy'_

"You honestly give the man more credit than he deserves, Draco," Severus said in an icy tone, rolling the scroll and using a candle to heat the wax. He pressed the Hogwarts crest stamp into the hot liquid, then pressed it to the scroll, sealing the missive.

Draco felt a pang of regret and longing, avoiding everyone's eyes as he took the scroll back and took it over to Caligo. He brushed her feathers down and whispered to her once more as he attached the scroll, then kissed her gently on the top of the head. Draco watched as his father's owl took off, flying up the chimney with the scroll secured to the sling on her ankle.

"He's still my father, Sev. Even if he is the world's biggest prat and a sadist at that, he's my dad. I don't even understand it most the time, so I hardly expect you to."

Severus shrugged as he gathered his dressing gown around him and made for the hall to head back to bed, Remus in tow. He looked back over at Draco, avoiding Harry's eye quite pointedly. "Considering what a piece of work my own father was, I don't think I could ever share your views, Draco. A tiger cannot change his stripes anymore than a monster could become a good father," he hissed, his eyes narrowing as if communicating something to the blonde that neither Harry nor Remus could understand.

Draco bristled, shaking off Harry's arm as the Gryffindor gripped his shoulder. "You're no better than him! What makes you think you could be a better father to Harry than Lucius was to me? I see no difference." He knew the instant the words were out of his mouth that he should never have said it, or even thought it, but he couldn't take it back now. He winced as Harry flinched away from him.

"That's completely unfair! How could you say that, Draco?" Harry asked, shaking his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Draco had the audacity to even compare Severus to Lucius. There were so many things he could argue that he just didn't feel like Draco even dignified an answer.

"Think of it this way, Draco; while your father was in prison after being caught playing Voldemort's lapdog, who housed you, fed you, took care you? Who was there for you, worried and supportive after you found refuge by going to Dumbledore? Severus has been more a father to you than Lucius ever was. You're blind if you don't see that," Remus whispered, turning and brushing past Severus down the hall.

With one last lingering glare that held just the right amount of hurt, anger, and pity, Severus followed Remus, letting the werewolf's words sink in. The final blow for Draco was when Harry frowned at him and shuffled off to his own room, closing the door firmly behind him.

He didn't know how long he stood in the middle of the sitting room, feeling like a properly chastised infant and foolish to the core. Wondering how he managed to get himself into these messes, Draco headed back to his own room, his head hung in shame. They were all right, and truth be told, Draco was jealous. Jealous of Harry, for getting the father Draco had always wanted, but could never have.

S~S~S~S

It was three days before Christmas, and Harry still had no idea what to get Severus. He'd taken Draco's advice into consideration, but the little Slytherin part of him dedicated to self-preservation still told him that touching Severus' mother's pocket watch would result in his untimely death. He'd appealed to Remus, but the werewolf was little more helpful than Draco was, admitting that he himself had been agonizing over the same thing for weeks. It was time to recruit Hermione to his cause.

Harry had avoided Draco like the plague for the last three days, still smarting over his attack on Severus. He was still shocked that his Draco would say such a thing, but then he should have realized that slowly but surely, the other Draco was coming back. This person that Harry had become smitten with, that had stolen his heart, was only a temporary replacement for the snarky, snide Slytherin that he'd known for the past five years. Even with Hermione's reassurances that Draco would never be that person in full again, he couldn't stop the fear and doubt from gnawing at him.

Having learned the password from Nearly Headless Nick, Harry entered the Gryffindor common room and made straight for Hermione, who was sitting at a back table, wrapping what looked like Christmas gifts. The brunette looked up as she heard the portrait hole open and she beamed at Harry from her sitting position.

"Harry! Good thing I wrapped your gift first. What're you doing here?" she asked pleasantly as she cleared away the snippets of cut up wrapping paper from beside her and motioned for Harry to join her on the floor.

Harry plopped down beside her and pulled his knees up to his chest, offering his best friend a smile as he leaned over and bumped her shoulder playfully. "I _am_ still a Gryffindor you know, I can be in here whenever I want," he teased, one of his eyebrows shooting up in an uncanny resemblance to the Potions Master's.

Hermione giggled and nudged him gently in the ribs, shaking her head exasperatedly. "Oh, you know what I meant, you prat. You do realize how strange it is that you've picked up all of Professor Snape's little mannerisms, don't you? I'm almost afraid you'll take points for my shoddy wrapping job."

Harry laughed, loudly. He hadn't felt so open in a long time, if he was quite honest with himself, and it was nice to just sit and talk to his best friend again. He really did miss having Hermione around more often. The only thing that was missing was Ron's horrified expression and his shuddering comment about Hermione not joking about something so serious. Harry sighed gustily, his smile fading into a frown.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, her tone changing quickly as she abandoned her spell-o-tape and wrapping paper, turning her full attention to Harry. She had that familiar gleam of concern in her eye, which somehow made Harry feel better.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I just...I miss Ron. I miss us, all three of us, sitting around and talking or playing chess or doing homework. Everything is so different now. Don't get me wrong, I like living with Severus and Remus, I do. I just miss how things used to be." Harry shrugged, as if this wasn't anything of importance, but Hermione knew better.

"Me too, Harry. Things got a little...tense here in Gryffindor after you and Ron stopped talking, and then you fought with Ginny. Ron and I broke up, and then Ginny accused me of choosing you over Ron and her. It was all just crazy and ridiculous. No matter what I did, I was always the one in the wrong with those two. Most of my time was spent studying by myself avoiding Ron's longing looks and Ginny's glares. Sometimes I wish I didn't live in Gryffindor anymore, either," Hermione sighed, her bushy curls lifting on the gust of breath she released.

Harry frowned at the crestfallen look on Hermione's face. He'd been so wrapped up in everything going on with Draco and Severus that he'd not spared much time for Hermione, or thought about how she was fairing with Ron and Ginny on the warpath.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't realize they were taking their anger towards me out on you. I just hope things will be better after the winter hols. Actually, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I still haven't gotten a gift for Severus yet," Harry groaned, his earnest expression making Hermione forget her own problems.

"Well, have you any ideas at all what to get him?" she asked, her expression one of thoughtful concentration. Harry knew he'd made the right decision coming to Hermione.

"Well, Sev has this pocket watch he usually always has with him. It was his mother's, but it doesn't work anymore, and he doesn't want to fix it using magic because it's actually a muggle watch. Draco thinks I should take it to get it fixed, the muggle way of course, and have it restored. I have a feeling he'd murder me if I so much as touched it," said Harry, bemused by the smug expression on Hermione's face.

"Harry, that's a wonderful idea! I think you should have listened to Draco all along. I'm sure Professor Snape wouldn't kill you for touching the watch. In fact, you could always have Remus take the watch for you and distract him from noticing that it's gone. I'll even help! We'll get Hagrid to escort us to Hogsmeade again, and we could even ask Draco to come!" Hermione said excitedly, gathering all her wrapping materials to store them away as if she expected it all to happen just then.

Harry's happy expression fell at the mention of Draco, and he pulled his knees closer to his chest. He'd forgotten to mention his little rift with the Slytherin to Hermione. Maybe he was being oversensitive to the situation, but he'd been feeling strangely protective of the Potions Professor ever since the adoption interview with the casewitch. He was nervous; afraid things wouldn't work out and the adoption wouldn't go through after all. He knew hearing from Lucius couldn't have been easy for Draco. Maybe he was being unfair to the blonde.

"Er, we kind of had a row the other night. Well, he kind of had a row with Sev, and Remus and I sort of involved ourselves. He got a letter from his dad, and he was told to write back, so he did. Apparently Sev thought Draco was being much too sincere, and he said so. Draco got defensive and Sev of course said something a little degrading about Lucius, and Draco accused Sev of being no better than Lucius was. He told him that he'd be a horrible father, 'Mione. It was so obvious that it hurt Sev, and it hurt Remus and me as well. I haven't talked to him since, which was three days ago. Maybe I'm not being fair to him..." Harry trailed off, his expression clearly asking for Hermione to provide all the answers like she normally did.

Hermione sighed. She felt like maybe she was out of her depth with this one, but maybe she could help at least a little.

"I'm sure a lot of things were said in the heat of the moment because of all the stress and tension. Draco shouldn't have been so defensive, but Professor Snape should have taken the initiative and been the bigger man, leaving his thoughts about Draco's letter unsaid. He's an adult, and you and Draco are under his care now. He needs to realize that the relationship between Professor and pupil is much more different than the relationship between a guardian and his ward. He may not be adopting Draco, but he's still his godfather. I'm afraid there's really not much any of us can do to teach Professor Snape a little compassion, other than to show it to him and hope he returns the favour.

"I think you were at least partially validated in your defence of Professor Snape. After all, he _is_ your father, or will soon be. Just like Draco used to passionately defend his own father, you have every right to do the same thing. I think perhaps that Draco's words were taken more seriously than they should have been, considering Draco was only doing what you were doing; defending his father. Sometimes love is blind, and even the most heinous crimes can't erase a lifelong bond between father and son. Everyone just needs to recognize it as the misunderstanding it was, apologize for the heated exchange, and put it past them."

Harry smiled warmly at his friend, sighing as he pulled her into a messy hug. He'd be so lost without her, it was painfully obvious. "What would I do without you?" he muttered into her hair, earning himself a small chuckle as Hermione pulled away from the hug.

"You know, you seem to ask that question a lot, and the answer still hasn't changed; you'd be nothing without me," Hermione teased, giggling as Harry tackled her and tickled her mercilessly as revenge.

Ten minutes later, they were standing outside the portrait protecting Draco's personal room, Harry taking in a nervous breath as Hermione gave him an encouraging pat on the back. He decided it would be too rude for him to just walk in after three days of not talking to the blonde, so he gave a few tentative knocks, and waited.

The portrait slid open smoothly to reveal Draco fully dressed in black slacks, a soft white cardigan, and charcoal grey robes that brought out his eyes magnificently. Harry almost forgot what he'd come for, other than to snog the Slytherin senseless. He blinked and shook himself as Draco's eyebrow shot up, his expression one of obvious displeasure.

"Can I talk to you?" Harry asked tentatively, fearing that Draco would deny him and tell him to leave. He sighed as the blonde nodded and led the way into his quarters. Hermione had planned on waiting in the corridor for Harry, but Draco shot her a look that said 'why are you still standing there?' and gestured for her to enter the room as well.

Draco sat down on his bed, his back leaning against the headboard as he slumped elegantly. Only Draco could pull the look off. Harry sat at the foot of the bed, a respectful distance from the blonde, but not too far away either. Hermione took the desk chair, looking awkward and out of place as she studied the nails on her left hand.

"Well, talk," Draco said shortly, staring at Harry so intensely that the Gryffindor had a hard time meeting his icy glare. He was reminded far too much of the old Draco, and his skin prickled uncomfortably.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you the other night. Everyone was pretty stressed and tense, and things were said that none of us probably meant. I know you were only defending your father, but I was defending mine as well. It's definitely something I've not had very much experience with, but when I heard you insulting Severus like that, I felt like I _needed_ to defend him. I'm sure you know how that feels, having a father whose reputation isn't a very good one. It's easy to get defensive. Remus was just defending the one he loves, the same way I defended you when Ron and Ginny started to have a problem with you. I'm sorry..." Harry trailed off as he noticed the shell shocked look on Draco's face, and the faint squeak of surprise he heard behind him from Hermione. Uh oh, what did he say wrong?

"Harry...did you mean...are you saying that...you _love_ me?" Draco asked in earnest, looking hopeful and scared all in one. The room seemed unnaturally quiet.

Harry seemed to stop breathing as he realized what he'd said. He hadn't meant it that way, just that _Remus_ was defending the one _he_ loved; Severus. Did he love Draco? He thought of all the nights he spent sitting in the hospital wing, talking to the comatose Slytherin, pouring his soul out. Draco had heard every word of it; he'd told Harry when he'd used Legilimency to wake him up. The problem was Harry didn't know if Draco remembered any of that now, and he'd been too afraid to set off one of the blonde's temper tantrums by asking. He always felt like he was walking on egg shells around Draco.

But was that really what was important? What about all the time they had spent together after Draco had woken up, after he'd been released from the hospital wing? They'd laughed and joked around, Harry had been teaching Draco some simple spells, celebrating when Draco suddenly remembered how to do it all on his own. And the snogging...the snogging was the _best_. They hadn't really gone any farther than touching above clothing, but Harry knew what came next, and he was excited, anticipating it.

He tried to imagine his life without the Slytherin, and he felt his heart nearly stop in his chest, panic stricken just at the thought. He was hopelessly attached, smitten to the highest degree. He did love Draco, and he'd been a fool for not realizing it before.

"Yes, I do love you, and I'm sorry for avoiding you for the last couple of days."

Harry was afraid that Draco was going to cry for a second, but instead the blonde launched himself at Harry, latching onto his mouth and wrapping his arms tightly around his neck. Harry kissed back, pulling the Slytherin practically in his lap. He heard Hermione giggle quietly behind him, but he didn't care. When Draco finally pulled away, he stayed extremely close – close enough that Harry could almost count his pale eyelashes one by one.

"I love you too, Harry. I'm sorry for attacking Severus like I did. You're right, it wasn't fair. I just...I hate when people attack my father like that. I realize now that I was a hypocrite, attacking your father like that. Forgive me?" The blonde asked, his pouting lip making Harry melt like butter.

"Of course you're forgiven. But I think maybe you owe Sev and Remus an apology as well. I need to go talk to Remus about something anyways, so come with me. You can distract Sev while I talk to Remus," Harry said with a mischievous smile and a glance over at Hermione.

Draco look bemused, even as he nodded that he would go. "Why do you need Severus distracted?"

"Because I'm doing what you told me to do a week ago. I'm going to take his mum's pocket watch to get it fixed, but I need Remus to give it to me, since I'm not exactly sure where it is."

"What if he's got it on his person, Harry? I didn't really think of that," Hermione said, sounding as if she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of something so simple.

Harry frowned, not having thought of that either. He needed to appeal to Remus; they'd figure something out. "I dunno, but we'll figure it out if it comes to that. Come on; Operation Pocket Watch is a go," Harry grinned cheekily, dodging Draco's hand as he tried to cuff him on the back of the head.

They found Remus and Severus marking papers quietly by the fire in the sitting room, sitting beside each other on the sofa. Neither of the Professors even noticed the three teens enter until Severus went to reach for his tea cup and paused mid-reach.

"Why does it feel like we're being ambushed?" he muttered to Remus, who had belatedly looked up and noticed the children. He slanted a look at Severus and shrugged, setting his marking aside.

"Maybe because we are," he muttered back before smiling up at the group. "Did you guys need something?" he asked politely, reaching for his own tea cup to take a quick sip.

"Er...can I talk to you, Severus? In private, please?" Draco asked quietly, a crimson blush colouring his cheeks and Severus gave a rather dramatic sigh and nodded, his expression unreadable.

"I suppose so. Come, we'll talk in my office." Severus led the way to the door adjoining his quarters to his office and allowed Draco to pass in front of him before closing the door behind them.

"What was that all about?" Remus asked as Harry took Severus' vacated seat and Hermione took up the ottoman sitting in front of one of the armchairs.

"Draco wanted to apologize to you both, but he wanted to do it separately. But that's a good thing, because I need your help with something," Harry said quickly, his voice much quieter than he normally spoke.

Remus gave him a curious look, but nodded for Harry to go on, now fully recognizing Severus' feeling of being ambushed.

"Severus' mum's pocket watch. It doesn't work anymore, and it's kind of careworn. I wanted to take it to get it fixed, the muggle way, as his Christmas gift. I wasn't sure where he kept it though, but sometimes he actually carries it around with him. I was hoping you could get it for me and distract him from noticing that it's gone," Harry explained. He hoped this would work, because he had no idea what else he could get the Potions Master for Christmas. It needed to be something personal, not some generic potions journal or fancy cauldron. It had to mean something.

Remus sighed heavily, his mind working quickly. "Well, I actually think that's a wonderful idea. Shame I didn't think of it, really. You're lucky, because as of right now, the watch is in our room, in the drawer of his bedside table. It's been there nearly a week, so I don't think he'll go looking for it any time soon. I'm not sure what kind of trouble will happen if he realizes that's it's gone, but I'll do my best to distract him from it. Let me fetch it now while he's still talking to Draco."

Harry beamed and hugged Remus quickly, glad that the man hadn't warned him off the idea entirely. He knew how important that watch was to Severus. He just hoped he was doing to right thing. "Thanks, Remus. I'll start talking loudly about N.E.W.T.s with Hermione if they happen to come in while you're still in there, alright?"

Remus chuckled and nodded as he stood up and quickly made his way down the hall into their shared bedroom. He went straight to the nightstand and opened the door, ruffling around in the random stuff before finding the tarnished and worn pocket watch. He quickly stuffed it in a pocket, and walked back out to the sitting room, which still lacked Draco and Severus. He walked over to Harry and held out the watch, making sure Harry quickly stashed it away in his jacket pocket.

"Guard that with your life, Harry. Severus will have the fit of all fits if anything bad happens to that watch; it's very important to him."

Harry nodded vigorously as he pat the lump in his pocket, making sure it was nice and secure. "I'll be very careful with it. Thank you."

Just then, the door to the office opened once more, and Draco walked in, Severus trailing in behind him. They both looked slightly happier, though Draco's eyes were red rimmed. He walked over to the sofa and stood in front of Remus, looking slightly embarrassed as he let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry for what I said the other night. I know how much Severus has sacrificed for me, and it was very selfish of me to accuse him of being a bad father. He's been more of a father to me than my biological father, and I do appreciate everything he's done for me."

Remus looked slightly taken aback, but he nodded and he reached out and gripped Draco's shoulder briefly, a warm smile on his face. "Apology accepted, Draco. Thank you for recognizing your mistake."

Severus was looking suspiciously between Harry, Hermione, and Remus, but he didn't voice his concerns as he bumped Harry's shoulder and gestured for him to give his seat back. Harry obliged quickly, smiling at his soon-to-be father.

"Hermione was wondering if Draco and I could go with her to Hogsmeade. She still needs to get her parents something for Christmas, and I told her I would help her pick something out. We'll ask Hagrid to escort us again," Harry said, his expression betraying nothing as he smiled at Severus. Oh, he was getting good at Occlumency, and it was all thanks to the Potions Master.

Severus still looked suspicious, and he studied Harry carefully for a few seconds before finally nodding and gesturing towards the door. "Alright, you two may go, but only if Hagrid agrees to escort you. If he cannot, then Remus or myself will take you. You're not to go without an escort, do you understand?"

Harry nodded quickly, grabbing Draco by the hand and dragging him to the door, Hermione following in their wake. "I understand. I'm sure Hagrid will take us. Thanks Sev!" And then they were gone, leaving Severus feeling like he was missing something, and Remus with a big secret that he had to protect from his lover.

"Teenagers..." Severus muttered as he picked up the pile of essays he had been marking before.

Remus snorted into his teacup.

* * *

**A/N:** Not quite a cliff hanger; I decided to be a bit generous this time! Remember to please tell me whether or not you'd like Harry's seventh year to be part of Never Alone, or separated into a sequel. Either say so in a review, or go vote on the poll on my profile! Thanks again, and happy holidays!


	27. In the Garden Matris

**N/A:** At long last, the Christmas chapter! Just to let all of my readers know, it took me quite some time to finish this chapter. I struggled with it for a long time, so I hope you all think it was worth my hard work! The next chapter may not be out until after New Years, so enjoy this one! Happy Holidays!

* * *

**Ch 27.  
In the Garden Matris**

Christmas morning dawned bright and early, not that Harry knew that, since his room was underground. He awoke to the sounds of Remus and Severus' whispered voices outside his bedroom door, seemingly arguing about something. Throwing his covers aside, Harry slipped his feet into his slippers and walked over to the door. Remus and Severus paused in their whispered arguing as the door opened to reveal a sleep ruffled Harry.

"What are you two bickering about this early in the morning?" Harry asked incredulously, running a hand through his helplessly rumpled hair. He was amused by their sheepish expressions, but he tried to hide it.

"Well, it's a moot point now that you're awake. Come, there are gifts to open," Severus said, pulling Remus along down the hall by his sleeve. There was something concealed in his right hand that Harry couldn't exactly see, but he didn't even try to spy what it was as he followed the two men into the sitting room.

It had taken some convincing and a little bit of begging on both Remus' and Harry's part, but they had finally gotten Severus to allow a small Christmas tree to be set up in the sitting room. Remus had charmed some fairy lights, and Harry and bought a few ornaments to hang upon the tree. They'd even convinced Severus to hang his own monogrammed ornament on the tree while listening to Christmas carols on the Wizarding Wireless. They'd allowed him a stiff drink that night.

There were packages of many shapes and sizes lying under the tree, the soft glow of the fairy lights gleaming off the shiny wrapping and sparkling bows. Harry felt his heart swell as Remus plopped himself on the ground beside Harry instead of taking an armchair, and he nearly lost control of his emotions as Severus rolled his eyes and joined the powwow on the floor. Remus leaned forward and grabbed three similarly wrapped packages, which Harry recognized as the Weasley jumpers. He couldn't wait to see Severus' reaction.

They all three opened their packages at the same time, Harry ripping the paper clean off, Remus carefully undoing the spell-o-tape, and Severus meticulously removing the paper so that not even a corner was torn. Harry snorted.

The Weasley jumpers were noticeably nicer this year, which seemed a bit strange to Harry. His jumper was a soft grey, made out of what looked and felt like cashmere instead of the usual yarn-like material. A little note was tucked into a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and he pulled it out.

'_Harry,_

_I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas! We miss you here at the Burrow, but it's good that you have your own family to spend the holidays with now. I learned a nifty charm over the summer hols that could knit cashmere jumpers! So much nicer, don't you think? Make sure Severus wears his at least once! Happy Christmas, Harry; we love you!_

_Molly and the Weasley family'_

Harry looked over as Severus unfolded his own jumper, which was a beautiful muted sapphire. The lack of adornment was obvious, but that could only be considered a good thing, in Severus' opinion. He cocked an eyebrow as Harry smirked at him, and Remus chuckled softly, holding up his own ruby jumper.

"It brings out your eyes," Harry said to Severus with a snicker. He received a half-hearted glare before he shockingly watched the Potions Master pull the jumper on over his night shirt, which he was still wearing.

"It looked warm," he said in explanation as Remus followed suit and pulled on his own jumper. Harry shrugged and slipped his on too, noticing that the new material was indeed warm and much less scratchy than the material Molly usually used.

Remus leaned forward once more and dug around under the tree. He made a noise of discovery as he pulled out a particular package and handed it to Harry, smiling warmly at him. "It's not much, but I saw it and it reminded me of you."

Harry took the small rectangular package and tore the wrapping off. The box inside was black and velvety, reminding Harry of jewellery packaging. He carefully opened the lid and smiled when he saw what was inside. A gentle silver bracelet lay wrapped in red velvet, the links in the shape of snakes and lions, alternating. He lifted the bracelet out and held out his wrist so that Severus could put it on for him. He turned to Remus and smiled, launching himself at the man for a tight hug.

"Thank you, Remus."

Remus held him close and sighed contently before releasing the young Gryffindor. "You're very welcome, Harry."

Harry reached under the tree and pulled out a gift that looked to be the shape and size of a book. He handed it to Remus and smiled shyly, but offered no explanation until Remus had carefully torn away the paper to reveal a beautiful glittering picture frame, sans picture, that had the word 'family' engraved on it in ornate letters.

"We don't have a picture to put in it yet, but we will. I guess it's my way of reminding you that even though Severus will be my father legally, I still consider you to be just as much a part of my family," said Harry, blushing slightly as he saw the moisture gathering in Remus' eyes. He hadn't meant to make the man cry.

"Oh, Harry. It's beautiful; thank you," Remus choked out, pulling the teen into another hug. He looked over the untidy black hair to Severus, who had cleared his throat and blinked quite rapidly in order to control his emotions. They locked eyes for a minute. Remus had never been so happy before in his life.

Harry finally pulled away and wiped the tears from his cheeks, laughing slightly as Remus did the same. This was proving to be a very emotional Christmas indeed, and he knew it wasn't going to stop there, either. He reached for another package, feeling his heart beat double time as he handed it to Severus. He was so nervous; he was surprised no one else could hear his heart pounding.

Severus accepted the gift and unwrapped the silver paper, letting it fall to his lap as he opened the small black box. He gasped as he recognized immediately what lay inside. His gut instinct was to get angry, but he quickly pushed it away as he lifted the now shining, golden pocket watch from the velvet lining of the box. He flipped the clasp, watching as the spring-loaded door clicked open to reveal the face of the watch, newly restored and working, the hands ticking the seconds, minutes and hours away. He immediately looked for the initials engraved in the gold; E.P.S. His mother's initials.

Severus looked up at Harry, who looked like he was ready for an explosion of epic proportions. A glance at Remus revealed a hopeful expression. He looked back down at the watch in his hands, the gold chain curled neatly underneath it. It looked just as he remembered it when his mother had given it to him, telling him to keep it safe for her while he was away at school. The reason it had stopped working was because his father had smashed it under his heel in a fit of rage. It had never worked the entire time Severus had had it. That was the summer before his mother had passed away. He felt the moisture on his cheeks before he even realized that they were tears. He had no idea what to say.

"I...Harry, this is...I can't even begin to explain how much this means to me..." Severus whispered, closing his hands around the watch and subconsciously holding it close to his heart. He remained speechless for a few moments before reaching towards Harry and pulling the boy into a tight hug. "Thank you."

Harry was shaking quite noticeably as Severus held him close. He'd been so afraid that the man's reaction would be one of anger and betrayal. This emotional display was certainly _not_ what Harry had expected. The pocket watch obviously meant much more to the Potions Master than even Harry had suspected. "You're welcome, Sev. I knew it meant a lot to you, and I had it fixed up completely the muggle way. No magic was used on it."

Severus felt a sort of relief at that. He had thought it had been fixed by magic for sure, but Harry had been considerate enough to respect his wishes. He didn't know why it was so important, but he didn't want this watch to be touched by magic. Maybe it was because magic was the reason his father had inadvertently killed his mother.

"It means the world to me, Harry, truly it does," Severus said as he released the boy. He took a deep breath as he reached underneath the tree for a slightly larger, flat package. His hands shook as he handed it to Harry, sharing a significant look with Remus.

Taking the package carefully, as it was obvious that it was fragile from the way Severus had handled it, Harry slowly tore the paper away, revealing the back of a picture frame. He turned it over once the paper was gone, and felt all the air rush from his lungs as he read the flourishing script at the top.

**Certificate of Adoption**

This document hereby states that Severus Tobias Snape is now the legal guardian and father of Harry James Potter-Snape, approved and signed by the Head of Wizarding Family Services and the Department of Magical Adoption. It is recognized as a binding document by the Ministry of Magic.

Head of Wizarding Family Services Casewitch and Curator Ad Litem  
Gerald H. Cooperman Adeline Luther

Minister for Magic  
Cornelius Fudge

Harry hadn't realized he was crying so hard until Severus – his _father_ – pulled him into another hug, smoothing his hair down as Harry clutched the framed document to his chest as if his life depended on it – actually, his life _did_ depend on it. He clung to the sapphire jumper as he cried himself out into his father's shoulder.

"Merry Christmas, Son," Severus whispered into Harry's hair, earning himself a tighter hug and a mingled laugh-cry from the Gryffindor as the teen pulled slightly away, wiping at his blotchy face embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to cry all over you. It's just...I can't believe it's finally real. I have a father now...I have a _father_," Harry gasped out, tears still sliding down his cheeks even as he smiled at his new father. He took a deep breath and looked down at the framed certificate once more before looking back at Severus, feeling his heart doing somersaults in his chest.

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

And that was when Severus lost the last of his iron-clad control over his emotions. He looked over at Remus, who was looking the worse for wear as his bloodshot and streaming eyes met Severus'. The Potions Master gestured for the werewolf to move closer, and a sort of group hug was initiated.

The door to the dungeon quarters opened, admitting Draco, who was smiling broadly as he held up his own Weasley jumper to show it off. He paused as he saw the tender moment being shared by the new little family, and felt suddenly bereft and awkward.

Harry looked up and smiled a watery smile at his boyfriend, extracting himself from the group hug so he could attack the Slytherin with a hug and a quick kiss, encouraging the blonde to put on the jumper.

Remus and Severus stayed close together on the floor near the tree, smiling as they watched Draco and Harry show off various gifts, including the framed adoption certificate. Remus reached across Severus' lap towards the tree, lifting one of the few gifts left there and handing it to Severus. It was small and square, wrapped in shining green and silver paper.

"It took me a long time to figure out what to get you. I knew it had to be something special, something less typical than potions ingredients or anything of the like. I very nearly gave up and bought you a new cauldron, until I thought of this." Remus gestured then for Severus to unwrap the gift, subconsciously holding his breath as the Potions Professor tore away the paper to reveal what was unmistakeably a ring box. Severus' head snapped up quickly to meet Remus' eyes, his jaw hanging slightly open. Neither of them noticed that the two teens in the room had turned to watch the exchange.

"Remus..." Severus whispered, afraid to open the box, but beyond excited for what it could possibly mean.

Remus smiled as he gently opened the ring box in Severus' hand, drawing everyone's eyes to the contents. A simple yet elegant titanium ring lay inside, gleaming off the light produced by the fairy lights on the Christmas tree. Engraved in tiny letters on the inside of the ring were two words; Nunquam Unus.

"Never alone..." Severus whispered as he lifted the ring from the box and studied the small engraving.

Remus took Severus' left hand and the ring and slid it onto the man's ring finger, showing that he also wore a similar ring on his own left ring finger. He must have just slipped it on. "We cannot get married because of the laws still governing against same-sex marriage, but I want you to know that if we could, I would marry you in a heartbeat. This, at least, will represent what we mean to each other. I love you, Severus."

Severus sighed contently as he pulled Remus close for a kiss, cupping the werewolf's cheek as he lingered against his lips. Severus heard a sniffle and broke away from the kiss, looking up towards Harry and Draco, who were beaming at the two men in a very watery way.

"It's all so surreal..." Harry whispered, earning himself smiles from his parents as Draco kissed him gently on the cheek.

"One more, then I think I've reached my emotional quota for the next ten years," Severus said in an amused voice as he reached for another package and handed it to Remus. He felt his gift would pale in comparison to the one he had just received, but it was too late to change it now.

Remus chuckled as he accepted the gift and carefully tore away the paper. A small wooden chest was revealed, made of fine smelling cedar. A saying had been burned into the wood, a saying that Remus would never expect to show up on anything Severus ever gifted to him.

"I Solemnly Swear..." Remus whispered, clicking open the latch and opening the chest. Inside laid two spun glass figurines; a stag, and a shaggy dog. The inside lid of the chest had the rest of the saying burned into the cedar, and Remus read it out loud as well.

"...To Accept You; Past, Present, and Future." Remus had no idea what to say. This meant so much more to him than he could ever explain. That Severus was willing to cast aside his feelings towards the people who had made his life as a teenager a living hell for him; it was priceless. He was broken out of his reverie by Severus getting to his feet. He was afraid he had offended the man, but in the next second his breath was stolen once more. Where Severus had stood there was now a rather large, rather sleek black panther, it's dark eyes immediately recognizable as the Potions Master's.

A squeak of surprise sounded from the two teens standing a few feet away, but Remus paid them no heed as he reached forward and gently caressed the panther's silken head. He laughed as Severus-the-panther nudged his hand and gave a soft purr of affection. As Remus drew slowly away, Severus transformed back into himself, smiling down at his lover, who quickly got to his feet and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I did it for you," Severus whispered against the werewolf's ear, causing the man to shiver slightly in his embrace.

"I know. Thank you, Severus," Remus replied, kissing the man firmly on the lips as they pulled away from each other.

Harry was beaming at the two men, though he fixed Severus with an indignant look a second later. "Why didn't you tell me you were learning how to become an Animagus? I want to learn!" he exclaimed, Draco nodding beside him that he too wanted to learn.

Severus sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, though it was obvious he was only putting on a show. "Maybe I will deign to teach you both over the summer, when we have more free time to do so. Trust me; it is not an easy feat. I commend James, Sirius, and Peter for managing to do so while still students."

Remus smiled indulgently at his lover, causing Harry and Draco to both roll their eyes and snicker at the doe-eyed expression.

"Come on, I want to give Harry his gift!" Draco announced, pulling Harry towards the door with him.

"Hold on just a few minutes, Draco. There is no way in Salazar's name that I am leaving my quarters in my night clothes," Severus said with a slight smirk. He and Remus went to go change their clothes as Harry pulled Draco into his room, changing his own clothes as well.

Once everyone was dressed, all in their Weasley jumpers still, of course, they all headed up to the Entrance Hall.

"Where are we going, Draco? Please say you didn't get me something huge and expensive," Harry groaned as the Slytherin dragged him out of the main doors to the school, the two Professors following behind. A thick layer of snow already covered the Hogwarts grounds, and the white sleet was still falling steadily to the ground.

"You'll see," Draco hedged. They walked across the grounds, past Hagrid's hut and pumpkin patch, past the greenhouses, and over a steep slope just behind the castle.

Harry could see that a large portion of the land had been fenced off with short, white picket fences. The snow couldn't touch the ground there, as if it had been charmed. As they got closer, it was clear that they were looking at a garden, although Harry only saw two different types of flowers. He looked over at Draco, his expression questioning.

"You told me in Hogsmeade that even if I couldn't place a gift in my mother's hands, I could still give her something. I thought the same was true for you, so I asked permission from Dumbledore, and got Professor Sprout's help in planting this garden. The yellow ones are daffodils, part of the Narcissi genus, and the pink and white ones are Stargazer lilies, part of the Lilium genus."

Harry knelt down beside the fence, reaching towards one of the Stargazer lilies and brushing its soft pedals with his fingertips. They were exotic looking, but so beautiful. Beside it was a simple, yet still elegant yellow daffodil. They actually looked quite nice together.

There was a marble plaque set into the ground just in front of the fence that Harry hadn't noticed before. He brushed the snow away from the engraving with his gloved hand.

_In Memory of Lily Evans-Potter and Narcissa Black-Malfoy_

_Semper Nostrum Viscus_

"The Latin means Always in Our Hearts, or some variation of, at least. I've never been good at that stuff," Draco mumbled with a frown. He'd asked Dumbledore to pick out the phrase simply because he couldn't think of anything significant or heartfelt. He was happy with the simple words the Headmaster had chosen.

Harry laughed gently as he traced the words, his knees growing wet and cold from kneeling in the snow for too long. He didn't care. He allowed Draco to help him up by the hand, brushing the snow from his trousers and cloak. Harry pulled the Slytherin close and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, smiling as Draco seemed to melt in his arms.

"Thank you...I love it," Harry whispered, returning the embrace as Draco pulled him into a tight hug for a few seconds. When they parted, Harry had another gift in his hand, taken from his inner pocket where he had hidden it.

"It's not nearly as great as your gift," Harry said with a shrug as he handed the ball-shaped package to his boyfriend.

Draco carefully unwrapped the heavy thing, whatever it was, before giving Harry a bemused look as the glass orb in his palm glowed with a swirling red mist. He recognized it, vaguely, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. The mist turned a soft blue even as he watched it swirl.

"It's a Rememberall, but it's a special kind; a Memory Jogger. Hermione started researching ways to help jog your memory a bit faster than it's been coming back on its own, and she found out about these. It's charmed so that the mist will turn blue whenever something around you starts to jog your memory. It's best that you not be told outright about the things you've forgotten, but to just help your memory along by reminding you of familiar things. With this, you'll know if there's something that's going to help you remember. There are other colours of mist as well, all with different meanings. Once you have all of your memories back, the mist will disappear. After that, there's a charm that will turn it into a normal Rememberall," Harry explained, hoping Draco wouldn't be offended by the notion of the gift. He was afraid Draco would take it completely the wrong way, but Hermione assured him that Draco would understand and be appreciative.

The swirling mist faded to a blood red again as Draco gripped the ball gently in his palm. He sighed, wondering what memory the little glass sphere had jogged, and why it seemed to have ebbed away. As he looked up at Harry, the orb turned blue once more.

"First year...flying lessons. I stole Neville's Rememberall and threw it, trying to get you in trouble when you flew off to get it. I'm the reason you were the century's youngest Seeker," Draco said, as if in a trance. The mist turned a murky red, then swirled a bright purple.

"That means the memory is slightly warped, or wrong. I think taking the credit for my Quidditch position might have done that," Harry chuckled, watching as the mist turned red once more.

Draco smirked and shook his head at the Gryffindor, feeling a slight sinking feeling in his stomach as he remembered the anger and jealousy he had felt on that particular day. He didn't like that feeling at all, but was sure that he'd get to feel it many more times before he got his full memory back. He was careful not to display his emotions as he hugged his boyfriend and thanked him.

S~S~S~S

Christmas dinner was slightly more crowded this year than previous ones, as more parents had let their children stay at the castle for more protection. Dumbledore still insisted that they all share one table, however, and so they all gathered at the Hufflepuff table for the succulent feast.

Harry was sitting between his father and his boyfriend, with Hermione sitting across from him still gushing over the book on ancient love spells that Harry had gotten for her. The Potions Master had rolled his eyes a few times already at the girl. Harry spotted a new shiny bracelet on her wrist, and she sheepishly admitted that it had come from Ron. Harry had only received the traditional Weasley jumper; nothing from just Ron. He tried not to let this bother him as he pulled a cracker with Draco, getting showered in confetti as Draco's ears were turned into elf ears.

"Severus, take them off of me!"

The Potions Professor just continued to guffaw into his mug of mead as Draco pulled helplessly on his pointy ears.

Remus and Hermione pulled their cracker next, and a loud bang reverberated around the hall as Remus sprouted two rather large reindeer antler. Severus laughed even harder, garnering most of the table's attention as they became entranced by his laughter; they'd never heard him actually _laugh_ before. When they noticed the antlers currently bedecking Remus' mussed hair, the whole table joined in on the raucous laughter.

After all the wizards cracker had been pulled, nearly everyone at the table was covered in confetti, or was sporting some type of festive body part. Hagrid's snow white beard and hair looked quite fitting underneath his Father Christmas' hat. Professor McGonagall, however, was not very pleased with her blinking red nose. Severus was grumbling as he tried to remove the giant angel wings from his back. They actually looked quite stunning on him. Hermione giggled as Harry cracked a joke about the angel of death. Severus cuffed him on the back of the head.

The feast came to a close after Dumbledore had risen and thanked everyone for a most joyous holiday, finally giving out the spell that would undo all of the festive cracker's spell work. Most people left their strange holiday decorations in place, though Severus and Draco both immediately removed theirs. Remus cursed under his breath as his antler got caught on the door frame on their way out of the Great Hall.

Down in the dungeons, Harry, Draco, Severus, Remus, and Hermione all sat in front of the fire, sipping eggnog and relaxing after a fun and eventful day. Hermione was curled up with her book beside the fire, Harry's blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Harry and Draco were playing a game of wizard's chess with the new board Remus had given Draco. Harry was losing badly. Remus and Severus sat together on the couch, watching the chess game commence as the fire warmed them.

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had. It's hard to believe the world is in such a horrible state of affairs when it feels so peaceful in the castle," Severus said quietly, smiling faintly as Remus toyed with the ring on his finger.

"We should enjoy it while we can. Something is bound to happen soon. It's all been too quiet, and even the Order have absolutely no leads. Things will happen soon, bad things, so remember this day," Remus said just above a whisper. He looked quite forlorn as he watched Harry lose for the third time in a row. He hoped the boy's duelling strategy was better than his chess skills.

Severus frowned at his lover, reaching up to turn the werewolf's face towards him. "I thought being overly pessimistic was my job? Remus, everything will be alright. Harry has much to learn still, yes, but he's much more powerful than anyone gives him credit for. Do not underestimate him."

"If anything happens to him, Severus, I don't think I could take it. It would kill me..."

Severus brushed the hair back from Remus' worried eyes, caressing his slightly stubbly cheek with the back of his hand. "Nothing will happen to him, Remus; I'll make sure of that."

Remus sighed heavily as he leaned into Severus' touch, taking comfort from the man's affection. "I wish I could be as confident as you about it, but I'm so scared for him. I wish I could do something to take that burden off of his shoulders."

"I told you that you would make a very good father, Remus, and I was right. I feel the same way, and so much more than that as well, and Harry's only been my son for a day. We'll get him through this, I promise." Severus pulled his lover close, kissing him gently on the lips. He rolled his eyes as the two boys and Hermione made 'awing' noises.

Remus smiled as he pulled away, still with eyes only for the Potions Master. "Teenagers..." he drawled in a precise mimic of Severus' voice, earning a smirk from the man and chuckles from the teens. It had been a wonderful Christmas indeed.

S~S~S~S

New Years was approaching fast, and Harry was actually excited for the new year to begin. He had a family, a boyfriend, and good friends; what more could he ask for? Well, other than that a psychopathic Wizard with a vendetta against him would just snuff it already. He just hoped that things between him and Ron would be alright after the break ended in just a week.

Now that the adoption was official, it had come time for the wards to be put in place. Early in the morning, much earlier than Harry appreciated, Severus woke him up and led him very sleepily to the Headmaster's office. Severus knocked gently with the Phoenix-shaped door knocker, waiting for the gentle reply from the other side.

"Ah, Severus, Harry! Good morning, my boys. Thanks so much for that exciting variety of socks, Harry, they were most tasteful. I enjoy opening my sock drawer every morning! And that Persian mead is delightful, Severus; it goes very well with the biscuits Remus gifted to me," Dumbledore rambled on cheerfully as he pulled an ancient looking tome from a locked cabinet behind his desk. He set it down heavily on the desk, shaking his blackened hand distractedly as he retook his seat behind his ornate desk.

"You're welcome, Professor. Hermione, Draco and I had quite a lot of fun picking them out for you," Harry said with a soft chuckle. They had spent nearly three hours picking out the most intriguing magical socks of all varieties. Some of them would scream horribly loud when they needed a wash, and there was a pair that would change colours with your mood. Harry's favourite pair by far were the ones that warmed your feet when they sensed you were a little chilly. He had bought a pair for himself as well.

Severus rolled his eyes good naturedly and offered the Headmaster a slight smile, trying not to let his eyes linger on the cursed appendage lying dead and useless on the desk beside the overlarge tome. "It is one of my favourites as well, though it would be a good idea if Rosemerta were not informed of such; she'd feel so betrayed." He allowed the Headmaster a soft chuckle before growing more serious, glancing briefly at the Wizard's dead hand. "And how is your hand doing, Albus? Any trouble with it?"

Dumbledore was perusing a rather worn page in the tome, clearly written in another language, Gaelic perhaps, quite intensely before glancing over at his shrivelled hand. "It is in the same condition it was just after the curse took effect. I cannot use it, and I hardly have any range of motion in my wrist. The pain potion you've been supplying me works wonders, I assure you." It was clearly the end of that conversation as Dumbledore made a noise of discovery and pulled out his wand, smiling up at the Potions Master and young Gryffindor.

"Now, this warding spell must be performed by three people; the guardian, the ward, and a witness. We obviously all know our roles, so let us begin learning the spells. Each of us has a different part in the spell, so let's begin with Harry's part."

Dumbledore spent fifteen minutes teaching Harry how to pronounce the words perfectly, correcting him at least fifty times before he got it right. It took about ten minutes to teach Severus his part, and then he repeated his own part a few times just to make sure he had it right.

"Alright, is everyone ready? The way the spells are performed is very similar to that of an Unbreakable Vow, which Severus at least is very familiar with," Dumbledore chuckled, ignoring the half-hearted glare that the Potions Master fixed him with.

"Sir, these wards are different than the bonding spell, right? We'll have to do that separately as well?" Harry asked, trying to repeat the strange words of the spell in his head over again just to make sure he didn't forget it.

Dumbledore nodded succinctly, rolling up the sleeve of his wand arm, preparing to perform the warding spell. "Yes, the bonding spell that must take place is separate from this one. We will work on that after we have the wards established; they are of utmost importance."

Harry took a deep breath, glancing over at Severus and receiving a questioning look from him. "I was wondering, sir, if there was a way to include Remus in the bonding spells. If Severus has to welcome me into his family as his son, then Remus should be included in that as well."

Dumbledore smiled warmly at Harry, the twinkle in his eyes a little over-bright, causing Harry to blush. "That would indeed be possible, Harry, but only if Severus and Remus were to be joined in a bond themselves first. As there isn't a binding connection between the two, Remus is not technically considered to be a part of Severus' family, all sentimental feelings aside. However, I believe that is something that Severus and Remus need to discuss and decide upon, as it is not a thing to be taken lightly. We can put off the bonding for a bit so that things can be discussed, if that is what you wish?" The Headmaster had directed this last to Severus, who looked slightly put upon, but nodded firmly without hesitation.

"Jolly good! Now, let's get these wards in place, shall we?"

S~S~S~S

Remus absolutely abhorred marking midterm essays. Well, _any_ essays, actually. He loved teaching, oh yes, and even giving lectures tickled his fancy, but marking essays was on his top-ten list of hated things. It wasn't that he minded the work, it was the reactions he received from the students who did not score very high. One bad grade on an essay could ruin a student's career plans, cast a shadow over their holidays, or simply send them into a panicked anxiety. On the other hand, the students who did well always seemed very cheered when they received their essays back with glistening red 'O's adorning the top of the parchment.

Remus sighed heavily as he crossed off yet another piece of bad information on a seventh year's midterm. Really, the of-age students should know better! His musing was interrupted quite welcomed when Severus returned from his meeting with the Headmaster, although Harry was no longer with him.

"We apparently need to have a very important discussion, Remus."

_Bugger_. And he'd thought he'd gotten out of hard work for the time being. "Oh, what about?" the werewolf asked with honest curiosity as Severus sat down on the sofa beside him and conjured a tea service.

Sipping at his tea for a few seconds gave Severus just enough time to rearrange how he should voice the subject. It had been skirted, brushed aside, and generally ignored in a strange silent consensus, but it was time to break the seal on the subject.

"Harry brought up a very good point during our meeting with the Headmaster. As you know, a bonding must be performed between Harry and me in order for the wards to take full effect. The point of the bonding will be for me to invite Harry in as a true and wanted part of my family. My parents are deceased, I am an only child, and any extended family is either very much out of contact or deceased as well. I have no blood family to speak of, Remus. Now as my partner, I do consider you to be family, and so does Harry, but because there is no current binding between us, the bonding spells I must perform with Harry will not recognize you as such."

There was a long silence as they both sipped tea, drinking in the herbal warmth as well as the heavy tension of the conversation they were embarking on. Remus knew what was coming, yet he still couldn't help wonder what Severus was getting at, exactly.

"I thought Professor Dumbledore had assured Harry that whoever adopted him need not have any family in order for the bonding to work?" Remus asked, already knowing that that was not what this conversation was about. He wanted to hear the words, to know exactly what Severus wanted of him.

"That is still correct. However, Harry and I would like that to be changed. We want to include you in the bonding, Remus. If you cannot contest for second parent adoption, this is the next best thing. The only thing that is stopping us from doing that, is the lack of binding between us. We would have to perform a bonding of our own before the spell I use with Harry will recognize you as part of my family," Severus explained calmly, hoping Remus had picked up on the obvious, blinking, bright red insinuations that he had thrown in there.

Remus gulped, taking a deep drink from his tea before looking back up at his lover, meeting his dark eyes directly. "So...you are saying that we should perform a bonding ceremony?"

Severus knew Remus was playing stupid on purpose now. The man was highly intelligent; there was no way he could _not_ be faking this ignorance. He kept his cool, however, and indulged Remus' dumb-act. "Yes, I think we should perform a bonding ceremony. There are many different types, and many different ways, but I think that the best option would be The Joining of the Souls."

Remus closed his eyes for half a second before opening them once more to meet the Potions Master's intense gaze. "Severus, the bond between Sirius and I still exists within my soul, even if Sirius' soul has passed on. I would...I would have to severe the bond before being Joined with you."

"I am aware of that, Remus."

The silence was most definitely uncomfortable now. Remus had drained his teacup, but he didn't want to refill it and give himself more time to stall. He knew that this was a crucial step in their relationship, and lingering too long or saying the wrong thing could very well ruin everything. He thought of Sirius, and that wonderful day of the Joining. Oddly, he could also remember precisely the way it felt when Severus, who had been an important part of the bonding, had tipped his head back to offer the special potion used in the ceremony; the way his hand felt slightly tangled in his hair, and the gentle way he placed the chalice against his lip to keep from spilling. Remus fingered the ring on his left hand, glancing over to see that Severus was mirroring his actions. Could he really severe the very last tie he had to his deceased lover? Could he put Sirius behind him so completely?

Squeezing his eyes closed and praying for strength, Remus reached out blindly and caught Severus' left hand with his own, opening them only when he felt the Potions Professor gently squeeze his fingers. "Alright, I can do it. Sirius is gone, and I have you and Harry now; there's no sense in holding on to that last piece of what once was. I love you, Severus, and I want to give you all me."

Severus let out a long breath he had not been aware he was holding, pulling his lover into a tight embrace. He kissed the werewolf's neck gently, sighing contently as Remus melted against him. "Thank you, Remus. I love you too."

Remus pulled away from the embrace and took his wand out, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He closed his eyes and gave his wand a very distinct flick, directing the tip of the wand at himself. "_Discerpo vinculum intus mea anima_."

A soft blue glow illuminated Remus' chest as the spell took effect. He flicked his wand once more, and the blue glow left his wand to linger in the air. With a determined look and a confident tone in his voice, he waved his wand at the glow. "_Finite incantatem!_"

Severus pulled the werewolf close, placing a gentle kiss on his temple as the man melted into his arms. It meant everything to him that Remus was willing to break his last remaining tie to his late lover, even though it obviously hurt him to do so. "Thank you for letting go..." Severus whispered against Remus' ear.

"Thank you for giving me the strength to," Remus whispered back, leaning his head comfortably on the Potions Master's shoulder. He felt relieved as well as saddened, and hoped desperately that he had made the right decision. He knew he had when Severus kissed him more passionately then he'd ever been kissed before.

S~S~S~S

Since the warding spells that had been performed between Severus and Harry would not go into full effect until the bonding occurred, the Joining of the Souls ceremony had to be performed quite quickly and on the fly. Since Severus was a very private man as it was, and privacy and secrecy were essential to survival, the ceremony was not made into a huge affair as it had been when Remus had performed the same with Sirius. It would be a quiet, private ceremony with very few people there to witness it.

All in all, however, Harry was extremely excited. The two different bonds would ensure, at least on a purely magical level, that both Severus _and_ Remus were considered his parents. He wasn't sure exactly why it was so important that it be _official_ on some level that Remus be included in that, but strictly symbolic didn't feel like enough. Remus deserved to be recognized as his father too, Ministry regulations be damned.

Dumbledore had ensured that the Great Hall be clear of any lingering students as the few people who had been informed of the ceremony gathered. Harry, Hermione, and Draco were allowed to attend, of course, and a few members of the Order had even come, much to Severus' chagrin. Most of the guests were quite curious and shocked to hear about the relationship between Severus and Remus, but everybody managed to mask it fairly well. The staff were all there, naturally, but most of them had been aware of the relationship for awhile, so none of them were really that surprised. Dumbledore performed the ceremony expertly and efficiently, and only a few murmurs of surprise were heard as Severus kneeled to Remus, and not the _other_ way around.

A small sort of reception was held afterwards, though Remus and Severus both insisted it was just a friendly get together to celebrate. Dumbledore just chuckled and humoured them by treating it as informal as possible, allowing guests to come and go as they pleased, lingering by the snacks and striking up conversations.

Harry, Draco, and Hermione were having a blast, dancing to the music blaring from the Wizarding Wireless, drinking butterbeer, and snacking on the trays of food the house elves had provided. There were very few people joining in on the dancing, but when Tonks dragged Professor Flitwick out to the dance floor and Metamorphosed herself to his height, the entire room was in stitches as they danced an elegant waltz.

Most of the guests had taken their leave as the sky outside darkened. Harry was chatting with Tonks and Fred and George when Dumbledore came up and pulled him aside, Severus and Remus following along. They entered the small chamber off to the side of the Great Hall, closing the door behind them.

"These wards are very important, and so a very limited amount of people are aware of them. Therefore, it would be better if we performed the bonding between Harry and Severus now, in private, rather than make it a public affair. Are we all agreeable to this?" The Headmaster asked with a warm smile, his sleeves rolled up as he twirled his wand happily in his one healthy hand.

Harry looked over to Severus, who caught his eye and nodded, Remus shrugging from beside his lover. If it was ok with the two Professors, it was fine with Harry. He smiled at his parents and turned back to Dumbledore. "That sounds fine to us, Professor."

"Good, good! Now, if Harry and Severus will please kneel before each other. The spell is quick and simple, so we shan't keep your few guests waiting."

The Head of Slytherin and the young Gryffindor knelt together, facing each other. Harry offered his adoptive father a small smile and received a hesitant grin in return. This was it, the final step that would ensure Harry's safety, and forever bind him to his adoptive father. He was ecstatic, but he was also slightly humbled. Harry remembered his birth parents, the people who had died to give him life, and felt an upsurge of gratefulness. His mother's sacrifice couldn't protect him any longer, but it had kept him alive until that time when he found an alternative in Severus, who had already vowed to protect him before they'd even met.

Harry's smile widened as Dumbledore instructed them to take each other's left hands, feeling Severus' larger hand squeeze his reassuringly as Dumbledore moved his wand in a wide arch over them, reciting a long phrase of Latin. Harry felt a tingle start from the fingertips of the hand holding the Potions Master's, which travelled up his arms and spread throughout his chest. When he looked up into Severus' eyes, he knew the older man had felt the same strange sensation. When the spell was over, Severus stood first, helping Harry up by the hand.

"Well, it has been quite the emotional couple of weeks now, hasn't it?" Severus sighed as Remus came up beside him, placing a hand gently on his arm. He seemed exhausted, but actually happy. The faint lines that usually marred his features due to stress, anger, or just general unpleasantness seemed to have faded away, replaced with a relaxed expression that made Harry feel at ease.

"Yeah, if I never cry again it will be too soon," Harry said with a dramatic sigh, earning himself a soft chuckle from Severus and a smile from Remus. As they joined the few others still lingering in the Great Hall, Tonks bounded up to offer her congratulations.

"I hope you guys have a long and happy life together. Harry couldn't ask for better parents," Tonks said with a cheeky grin, winking pointedly at the Potions Master, who rolled his eyes at the Auror. She turned to Harry, who was hiding his laughter behind his hand.

"I've got to get going, though. I've been given night patrol in London tonight since I got out of my afternoon shift to come here. See you soon, Harry, and happy new year!" She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, earning herself a very heated glare from Draco, who had just walked up with Hermione.

"What the hell was that all about?" Draco asked in a huff, making Hermione giggle from beside him. He glared at her, too.

Harry shrugged with an innocent look, brushing off Draco's affronted expression. "Nothing, Tonks was just saying goodbye before she headed to work."

"You know what I mean, Harry," Draco hissed with narrowed eyes. Severus and Remus had moved on to talk to Kingsley, while Hermione tactfully walked away and pulled Fred and George into a conversation about their improved Day Dream potion formula.

Harry frowned, pulling Draco off to the side so as not to be overheard by anyone. "Honestly, Draco, she was just saying bye. She didn't mean anything by the kiss on the cheek. She's my friend, and much older than us, I should like to point out."

Draco looked sceptical for a few more seconds before sighing, his shoulders dropping as he took in Harry's honest expression. Maybe he had overreacted, just a little bit. "I'm sorry; I guess I just got really jealous when I saw her touching you. I don't like other people touching you that way."

Harry smirked, pulling Draco close, despite all of the other people in the Great Hall. "Clearly, love. You don't need to worry about that at all. I want you, and only you," he whispered against his boyfriend's ear, feeling an excited thrill shoot through him as the Slytherin shivered against him.

With a smirk he hoped only Harry would be able to see, Draco leaned in and gave him a long, lingering kiss, gaining a few whispers from the remaining guests. Neither of the teens cared, however, and continued to get lost in each other's arms.

S~S~S~S

The _Daily Prophet_ the next morning had a huge headline that made Harry cringe and hide his face as he noticed the accompanying pictures. He passed the paper to Severus, who nearly spit out his tea as he saw the front page.

"Bloody hell!"

Remus looked up from his breakfast at Severus' expletive, shocked by the man's uncharacteristic cursing. He leaned over to look at the front page, and shouted his own colourful expletive.

_The-Boy-Who-Lived-to-Be-Gay_

_This reporter has gained exclusive knowledge that one Harry James Potter, formerly of Little Whinging, Surrey, is involved in an intimate, same-sex relationship with than none other than Draco Malfoy, escaped convict and confirmed Death Eater Lucius Malfoy's son. These two images were obtained at a secret bonding ceremony between two of Hogwarts Professors, who will remain anonymous. According to an inside source, Potter and Malfoy have been an item for quite a few months, but had yet to display any sort of affection in public, until now._

_One must wonder just exactly what Harry Potter is thinking, getting involved with a Death Eater's son. Has the supposed Chosen One lost sense, or has he been compromised by the other side? Readers and this reporter alike would very much like to know; who's confunded Harry Potter? Rita Skeeter, out._

The two pictures framing the article were of Draco and Harry in various states of snogging, pressed very close together from toe, to hip, to lips. It was a very embarrassing picture to have your parents see, let alone the entire Wizarding World. Harry gulped as Draco came running into the Great Hall, his face quite horrified.

"How the _hell_ did Skeeter get in the castle?" the Slytherin demanded loudly. He was obviously just as upset about the article as Harry was. Harry was just about to answer when Remus gasped and spread the paper out on the table so everyone could see the smaller article below the slandering starring Draco and Harry.

"Look!"

_Auror Goes Missing After Night Shift Patrol_

_During a night time patrol of London's clubbing streets, second year Auror Nymphadora Tonks suddenly fell off the map, befuddling the Auror Department, who monitor their personnel quite closely during night shifts. Twenty-four year old Tonks, an ambitious young woman who joined the Auror Corps four years previous, was last seen outside a Wizarding pub, checking the wards on the building to ensure the safety of the patrons. A struggle occurred, and Ms. Tonks was taken by her attacker or attackers. There has been no more information on who the suspect(s) who abducted the Auror might be, but anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Head of Magical Law Enforcement._

_In a surprising and somewhat shocking decision, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has declined to comment on the case of the missing Auror, and has made no attempt to set up a search for the young woman. Head Auror and prospective Minister of Magic candidate Kingsley Shacklebolt has threatened to resign from his position if Minister Fudge does not make an effort to find Ms. Tonks. Many other members of the Auror Corps, trainees and seasoned members alike, have also threatened to resign from their positions._

_After the news was given to Ms. Tonks' parents, Andromeda Tonks (née Black) and Ted Tonks, this reporter managed to get a quick statement from the worried parents._

_Said concerned father Ted Tonks; "Our daughter is missing, possibly abducted by one of the escaped Death Eaters who have yet to be apprehended again. Cornelius Fudge's lack of proper action is disgusting and cowardly. The man deserves to be run out of office, and by all means, we hope he will be. We hope and pray for our daughter to be returned safe and sound, and encourage her abductors to leave her unharmed. We love you, Dora. Stay strong."_

_An information Floo network has been put together by concerned Ministry personnel and Wizarding community citizens. Please do not hesitate to contact the information network or Department of Magical Law Enforcement if you know anything about Nymphadora Tonks' whereabouts._

Harry was shaking by the time he finished reading the article. Tonks, who he had just seen last night right before her shift, was missing, possibly abducted by the likes of Bellatrix Lestrange or Lucius Malfoy. He turned to Severus and Remus, who were sharing concerned and apprehensive expressions.

"You didn't know anything about this at all, right?" he asked, feeling a strong sense of foreboding as he realized that Dumbledore was missing from the breakfast table.

"Of course not, Harry. We would have told you straight away had we known, I promise," Severus assured his son, who looked about ready to burst into a fit of rage. He'd need to head the boy off before he gained a head of steam to attack with.

Harry sighed in relief, taking his father's word as fact purely out of trust in the man. He felt his stomach roil and was nearly sick as he imagined what could be happening to Tonks that very minute. He stood from his seat, gaining worried looks from Draco, Hermione, Remus and Severus.

"I don't feel so good," he muttered, quickly extracting himself from the table and making his way out of the Great Hall. He hurried quickly to the front doors, hearing foot steps behind him as he burst through the doors, ran down the steps and across the grounds. Harry only stopped when he reached the beech tree beside the lake, gasping for breath and clutching a stitch in his side.

Someone walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't bother to turn around; he knew it was Severus. "Harry, are you alright?" the Potions Master asked quietly.

Harry let out a strangled breath as he shook his head jerkily, signalling that he was definitely not alright. He couldn't explain how grateful he was when Severus pulled him into his arms, holding him close to his warm, solid chest. Harry clutched at his father's robes, struggling to keep his emotions intact.

"It's not fair. Tonks didn't do anything to anyone! Why her, of all people?" Harry croaked, his face still buried against his father's chest, slightly muffled by the many layers of robes.

Severus sighed as he rubbed Harry's back gently, hoping he could find the right words for the boy. "She didn't necessarily have to do anything to anyone, Harry. Just being on the side of the Light made her a target. I'm sure the Order are searching for her. I'll make sure of it, Harry."

Harry choked back a sob as he held tighter to Severus' robes. He couldn't afford to let himself get so emotional; he needed to stay strong so he could help with the search for Tonks. "This is all my fault. They wouldn't have taken her if she wasn't associated with me. I want to help look for her, Dad."

Severus felt his stomach do a flip at the sound of Harry referring to him so comfortably as his father, but he didn't let it affect him so much that he lost his sense. "It isn't your fault at all, Harry. Do not blame yourself for something you had absolutely no control over. You don't know where she is, or who may have taken her or why. I'm sorry, Harry, but it won't be possible for you to help with the search. There are others out looking for her; you need to stay safe here at the castle."

Harry felt like screaming and yelling that it wasn't fair, that he wanted to help search for Tonks because Severus was wrong and this _was_ all his fault, but he knew better. He knew Severus was at least right that he couldn't leave the castle; he'd only put more people in danger by doing so. Staying curled close to Severus, Harry sighed dejectedly, wishing he could do something, _anything_ to help. "I hate this..."

"I know, Harry. I'm sorry," Severus whispered, smoothing down the Gryffindor's unruly hair as he tried to offer whatever comfort he could. That Harry would immediately blame himself for the Auror's disappearance saddened Severus greatly, making him wish he could take such a heavy burden off his son's shoulders. He still wasn't used to the fact that his _son_ was Harry Potter. Severus held the boy closer still, hating the way he shuddered against him, and how he couldn't do anything to help it.

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**A/N:** I know; I'm horrible for leaving you with a cliffy on Christmas! Just think of this three updates in one month as a sort of Christmas gift, because I usually never update that frequently. I'll try to get the next one out as fast as possible. Thanks for reading, and please review! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


	28. Come Hell or High Water

**A/N: **Hey all! Sorry that this is a little bit later than I intended it to be. It's also a bit short, but I felt like it was cut off at a good spot. I'll be starting school again soon, so updates may slow down more as I lose time to write. Don't worry, though! I'll never give up on this story! I just ask for a little bit of patience as real life takes a busier turn. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**WARNING:** This chapter includes a scene that may be slightly triggering for some readers, though it is not graphic in any way. Please proceed with caution!

* * *

**Ch 28.  
Come Hell or High Water**

The second term of the year was to begin in a few short days, making everyone sigh in relief. So much had happened in so little time, and Harry felt completely drained. He hoped the start of the new term would be like a new beginning, quiet and calm. He wasn't going to hold his breath for that, however. Tonks was still missing, Aurors were resigning in protest, people were actively trying to run Fudge out of office, and things in the Snape household had been extremely tense. Harry sat in the sitting room with Draco after breakfast, listening to the raised voices coming from his parents' room and wondering what was going on this time. He was wrapped up in his boyfriend's arms, wincing and jumping as he heard doors slam and more shouting as Severus and Remus came down the hall.

"How can they possibly ask you to leave three days before term is to start again? You have classes to teach, students to watch over! Dumbledore is cracked, Remus! Why do you just go along with everything he asks of you? Grow a spine, Lupin, and tell him _no!_"

"Oh you're one to talk, Mr. Unbreakable Vow! You were the only one, Severus, so don't you lecture _me_ about blind faith," Remus snapped as he carried a trunk over to the hearth and reached for the pot of floo powder.

Severus moved around his lover and blocked the hearth, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw set in a rigid line. "I am proud to have taken that Vow, Remus, as the boy is now my _son_. That has absolutely nothing to do with this situation, and you well know it. They have plenty of other members who have the ability and means to up and leave their lives to go on a wild goose chase; I don't understand why they need you as well."

Remus growled under his breath, reminding Severus that the full moon had just passed only a few days previous, and vestiges of the wolf still lingered. "Albus has reason to believe Greyback may have been involved in the abduction, Severus. I am the only werewolf in the Order, therefore the only one with any chance of getting close to him for information. I am not going to refuse to help and let there be a chance of never recovering Dora."

Severus winced at the use of the nickname for Tonks, but otherwise seemed unmoved by Remus' angry retort. "Oh? So on what grounds does Albus have for thinking Greyback is involved, other than the fact that he is associated with the Death Eaters? If you are the only werewolf he has access to, how could he possibly know that information? Does he know that Greyback isn't actually a Death Eater? The Dark Lord refuses to brand half-breeds with his Mark. I don't know what he is playing at, but I think Dumbledore is deliberately misleading you. Who are you going to trust, Remus; me or him?"

"_Don't_, Severus! _Don't_ do this," Remus pleaded in a heated whisper, trying his hardest to ignore the audience of the two boys, watching the fight from the sofa naught ten feet away. He had absolutely no desire to answer that question, and he did not intend to.

The Potions Master seemed to deflate slightly, his arms falling heavily to his sides. He knew he wasn't going to win this one, and he was just as hurt as he was angry. "Just get out, Remus."

"Please, Severus, you must understand – "

"I said, _get out_," Severus hissed, glaring at the man before him so hard, it was hard to believe they were almost as good as married.

Remus shook his head sadly, letting out a strangled breath. He had his trunk under one arm and a handful of floo powder in the other hand. "I'll be back as soon as I can, alright? I love you, Severus." He moved forward to give his lover a goodbye kiss, but was denied as Severus quickly turned his head and took a step sideways, allowing enough room for Remus to walk into the hearth. He felt his chest tighten as he threw down the floo powder and yelled out his destination, which remained silent because of a Fidelius charm.

Severus made a disgusted noise as he avoided the stares of the teens and stalked back down the hallway, slamming the door to his bedroom closed behind him. He was in a right state, and he did not need to be around his son while this riled up, lest he say something stupid that he'd deeply regret once he had his proper wits about him.

Draco pulled Harry even closer to him, feeling the Gryffindor shake and jump quite violently as the door slammed. "It's alright, Harry. They're a married couple, or at least as good as; fights like this are common. My parents used to fight over the stupidest things, but they always got on again after they both had time to cool off."

Harry shook his head sadly, wondering idly if he'd ever even see Remus again. He had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't. "Severus is right though, Draco. Remus should have more faith in Severus. He knew even during the summer that Dumbledore was starting to lose his grip. Where does the blind faith end? When do you start trusting your instincts and going with your gut?"

"Maybe he was, Harry. Maybe his instincts were telling him that, despite Professor Dumbledore's declining wits, it was important to follow his orders anyways. I don't understand most any of it, so I'll not comment any further, but I don't think you need to worry about the rift between Remus and Sev being anything more than a lover's spat. They're both much too passionate to let one fight get the best of their relationship," Draco said with a shrug. He placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips, relaxing when the Gryffindor responded passionately, melting in his arms.

When they separated, Harry detangled himself from his boyfriend's arms. "I think I should go check on my dad. See you and Hermione in the library at three as planned, alright?"

Draco sighed and nodded, pulling Harry close for one more kiss before gathering his cloak and leaving the dungeon quarters to study some more. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to start the new term at the same level as his peers.

Harry took a deep breath and forced himself to stand up and walk down the hall towards the Potions Master's room. He was a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake; he shouldn't be afraid of his own father. Preparing for a sarcastic and snarky comment, Harry knocked gently on the door.

After a few seconds, the door opened of its own accord, which Harry took as invitation to enter. He slipped in through the crack in the door, and noticed the room was nearly pitch dark, save for the fire roaring in the hearth off to the side of the enormous bed in the centre of the room. This was only the third or fourth time he had ever entered Severus' personal bedroom, and he couldn't help but to look around curiously. He finally spotted Severus, lying on his back on the enormous bed with a pillow over his face. Harry frowned, disconcerted to see his father obviously very affected by the fight that had just taken place.

"I won't bite, Harry," said Severus' muffled voice from underneath the pillow, which made Harry crack a rueful smile as he walked over to the bed, and flopped down on it beside his guardian, who didn't remove the pillow from his face, but scooted over to provide Harry with more room.

"You, er...you alright, Dad?" Harry asked hesitantly, feeling slightly stupid as he directed the question at the earthy green and beige pillow. He let out a small sigh of relief as Severus removed the pillow from his face and held it instead against his chest.

Harry smelt a familiar scent, something he recognized immediately, but it wasn't Severus' usual scent of potions ingredients and freshly laundered robes. A quick look at the bedside table showed that the side Severus was currently laying on was Remus' side, and the pillow was most definitely the werewolf's. Harry was smelling Remus' scent, and it made his heart clench to know that Severus was much more unsettled by the situation than even Harry had thought he was.

Severus was about to answer that he was fine, and that Harry should not concern himself, but he had little energy within himself to lie to the boy. He sighed as he clutched the pillow tighter to his chest. "I am deeply unsettled, a little shocked, incredibly angry, but mostly just...saddened. I expected a bit more loyalty, I must say."

Harry was shocked by Severus' open honesty, but he was glad for it as well. Severus was letting him in instead of shutting him out, as he expected. He thought about what Draco had said about Remus trusting his instincts, and decided that the Slytherin made entirely too much sense for it not to be at least partially true.

"Remus is a bleeding heart. He has compassion for everyone and everything. I'm sure he even feels sorry for the Death Eaters at times. He's worried and concerned about Tonks, and he wants to do whatever he can to help. Maybe he's not just doing it for Dumbledore. Maybe he's doing it for me, or himself, or just for Tonks. Information has been extremely scarce, and I think that leaving any lead unsearched is unwise when it comes to somebody's life. I know you want him here, safe; so do I, but Remus is not weak, and he's not stupid. He'll be alright, just...maybe have more faith in _him_, if not in Dumbledore. I think it kind of goes both ways, Dad, that whole loyalty aspect."

Severus had turned to look at Harry, and was now positively gapping at the boy. He shook his head slowly, sitting up as he studied his son's face in awe. "You are much too wise for your age, Harry. It's very disconcerting, but then again it puts my heart at ease to know that you're so intelligent."

Harry blushed under Severus' intense gaze and his high praise. Harry felt his heart flutter at the pride in the man's voice; he'd always wanted a father who was proud of him. "I'm not a genius or anything; I just speak my mind."

"And that takes no small amount of courage and intelligence, Harry, to speak from the heart like that. You are much smarter than you give yourself credit for. You're right; I overreacted because I'm so scared something is going to happen to Remus. I'm positively terrified that he may not be coming home," Severus said quietly, hating how weak and vulnerable he sounded, even if it was just in front of his son, and even more so because of that.

Harry sat up and looked his father straight in the eye, his throat tightening as he saw the naked fear in the man's eyes. "I'm scared too, Dad. It's ok to be frightened. Just have faith in Remus, even if you can't trust Dumbledore's instincts right now. Trust that Remus knows what he's doing and that he'll do everything he can to come back to us," Harry said firmly, knowing that the werewolf was nothing if not extremely strong-willed and loyal to those he loved. He'd be back, come Hell or high water.

"What would I do without you, Harry?" Severus sighed as he pulled his son close and wrapped him in a tight embrace. He knew he'd be nothing and nowhere without the teen who clung tightly to him, soaking up the comfort from the hug like an extremely dry sponge.

"I ask myself the same thing about you every day," Harry admitted, smiling when he felt the rumble of Severus' rare, soft chuckle against his chest.

"_Much_ too wise for your age, I must reiterate."

S~S~S~S

New Years Eve arrived at last, and with it came a massive snow storm that kept everyone indoors and close to the fires. The usually festive day seemed somehow darkened and unimportant as Harry watched his father disappear into a quiet daze of despair, no matter how hard the Potions Master tried to hide it. Even after their initial talk following Remus' departure, Severus had still been in a bit of a funk and nothing Harry did or said seemed to help. Draco had reassured Harry over and over again that things would be ok, but that didn't help much while Harry watched his father lock himself up in his room with a bottle of firewhiskey.

"I'm sure he's drinking himself into a stupor every night, and he nearly slept till noon yesterday. It's not like him, and I'm worried," Harry confided in Hermione, who was drawing up a stricter studying schedule for Draco while the Slytherin worked on sixth year Transfiguration sitting, in all places, the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione frowned and crossed out a line on the schedule, rearranging the subjects to her liking. It seemed impossible, squeezing an entire semester of magical education into a few short weeks, but Hermione and Draco had managed to get most of it done. Draco was now only a few chapters behind in each class, and was working extremely hard to catch up before term began again.

"Have you talked to him about it, Harry? Maybe it's not just Remus' absence that's bothering him."

Harry sighed heavily as he slumped back in his seat. He'd tried talking to the Potions Professor numerous times over the last three days, but he was brushed off, lied to, and even ignored. He'd never seen Severus so upset before, and he never expected a spat with Remus to affect him so much.

"Of course I've tried talking to him, 'Mione. He doesn't listen to a word I say, and he's even been ignoring Dumbledore's requests to talk to him. He's right livid with the Headmaster. I think maybe it's because Remus hasn't sent any word yet of where he is or how he's doing. I think it's just Severus' way of worrying, but it's driving me bonkers."

Draco finished up his essay, using a spell to dry the ink quickly before rolling it up. He looked at the clock and realized it was much too late to take the essay to Professor McGonagall, so he stashed it away in his book bag for the time being.

"I told you before, Harry, things will be fine. You worry entirely too much. So maybe Severus is drinking a bit; oh well. We're all still on break, and he needs a little bit of tension relief. Since his other form of _tension relief_ is currently unavailable, he's getting it from some firewhiskey. No shame in that," Draco said with a shrug, laughing at the matching horrified looks on Harry and Hermione's faces.

"Draco! I'd rather you not talk about my parents' sex life, thanks. I think there may be something else wrong that he won't talk about...Maybe...maybe he thinks that Remus cares more about Tonks than about him. I mean obviously that's a stupid thing to think, considering Tonks is a girl, and Remus is practically married, but when it comes to matters of the heart, logic sometimes goes out the window," said Harry, giving Draco a pointed look.

Hermione sighed as she passed the study schedule to Draco. "Don't _I_ know that. You know even after everything that has happened with his dad, Ron is still bitter about you living with Professor Snape and befriending Draco. I think he'd have a litter of kneazles if he knew you two were actually _dating_."

Harry frowned as Draco plopped down on the couch beside him and snuggled up to his side, resting his head on his shoulder. "He is? We haven't really talked about it at all, but I thought things were ok now between us. Guess I should have gotten the hint when his Christmas gift never showed up."

"Well, he said that he would set aside his feelings for his family's sake, but yet he won't set aside his feelings for _your_ sake. I tried to explain everything to him, especially about the adoption and the wards, but he just seems to think you've gone round the twist and turned to the Dark Side or something. I think, perhaps, that he's just jealous and hurt. He thinks he's lost his best friend."

"The only reason the Weasel has lost his best friend is because he's an immature, bigoted arse. He did this to himself, so he can feel all wounded if he wants to." Draco shrugged as Harry gave him a disapproving look.

"What? He had no reason to treat you the way he has, and I'm disinclined to feel any sympathy for him, aside from losing his father. I know how it feels to lose a parent, and it's not pleasant, but he'd make things a lot easier on himself if he'd get over his misconceptions about Severus and I."

"Did you just call Ron 'the Weasel'?" Hermione asked with a strangely happy expression. Harry and Draco both gave her incredulous looks before Harry caught on and smiled at his boyfriend. Draco was even more confused now.

"Er...yes? What is wrong with you two? Shouldn't you be yelling at me for making fun of him?" the blonde asked as he pulled away from Harry to get a better look at his expression. Nope, still slightly amused and somehow proud.

"You obviously remembered something! That's what you used to call him all the time, Draco. Where's your Rememberall?" Harry asked excitedly.

"It's in my room, but I still haven't really figured out how to use it quite yet." Draco yawned and sat up, stretching high over his head as he realized just how tired he was. He'd done entirely too much studying that day. "I'm exhausted; I think I'm going to head to bed."

"But Draco, it's New Years Eve! You've got to stay up and give me my midnight kiss," Harry said with a cheeky grin, earning a giggle from Hermione and a smirk from the blonde.

Draco looked over at the clock and saw that it was ten-thirty already. He shrugged as he slumped back down against his boyfriend's side, snuggling in his warmth with a satisfied sigh. "Alright, I guess I can hang for a few more hours. If I fall asleep, just wake me up at midnight."

Harry laughed and shook his head exasperatedly at the Slytherin. It was strange, feeling so very comfortable when this close to someone who had once been his worst enemy. He felt extremely blessed to have Draco beside him, and he hugged the blonde closer as the night wore on.

At exactly midnight, Hermione shot off a colourful array of wand sparks and cheered. Harry looked down and saw that Draco had indeed fallen asleep like he'd warned he would. He smirked as he got an idea, and shifted himself to a better angle of attack. Lifting Draco's chin gently, Harry kissed him quite thoroughly, laughing against the Slytherin's lips as he woke up mid-kiss and gave a soft moan as he started to respond to the kiss. Only after the tolling of the bells ended did they stop kissing.

"Happy New Year, love."

"Yes it is," Draco drawled as he pulled Harry into another heated kiss. They broke apart as Hermione wolf whistled at them and drew a heart with wand sparks around their heads.

"I wish someone would kiss _me_ like that, Merlin," Hermione joked, though really, she wished Ron had been there to celebrate with them. She frowned at the thought, wondering what the red head was doing now, or if he had simply gone to bed without celebrating at all.

Harry and Draco shared a sly look, practically reading each other's minds as they suddenly sprang up from the couch and lunged at Hermione, who shrieked and nearly fell out of her chair. She laughed uncontrollably as both Harry and Draco kissed her on the cheek at the same time, sandwiching her in a strange tangle of limbs that turned into a group hug.

"Thanks, you two. Happy New Year!" Hermione said fondly as she hugged the two boys back, feeling slightly awkward being so open and friendly with someone who spent years insulting her lack of magical heritage and discrediting her intelligence. Draco was a different person now, and she liked who he had become. She still missed Ron a lot, but at least she had two great friends with her to help her cope.

"Happy New Year, 'Mione!"

S~S~S~S

_It was dark and incredibly too cold for a night in July. He had his thin, dirty cloak wrapped around his shoulders in a weak attempt to keep himself warm. The stench of the alley made his already roiling stomach revolt as he slumped against the brick building behind him, worn and too exhausted to keep looking for shelter. He had no idea where he was. Muggle London might as well have been a foreign country to him._

_The only relief he felt was that as lost, cold, and hungry as he was, it was a million times better than being stuck in that abysmal shack with his psychotic aunt and uncle. He squeezed his eyes closed as he tried his hardest to occlude his thoughts against the memory of the last time he had seen his mother, but it never failed to come back to him in his dreams – or nightmares, rather._

_There was a loud rush of music as the back door of the pub he was leaning against suddenly opened up, a group of drunk and belligerent men stumbling into the back alley. Draco tried to make himself small and unnoticeable as the men passed by, but as was inevitable, one of the more sober of the group of four spotted him curled underneath his distinctly not Muggle cloak._

"_Aye, what we got here, then? Yer look too young to be a drunken bum. Where yer parents at, boy?" the man asked in a thick cockney accent that thoroughly annoyed the blonde, who was quite proud of his own posh lilt._

"_None of your business. Keep moving, mister," Draco said in his best attempt at nonchalant kindness. He was hungry and cold, yes, but he had no desire to be picked up by a bunch of drunken, paedophilic Muggles. _

"_I see, here. You aint got no parents, tha's it, right? S'at mean no one will miss ya if ya sud'ly disappear?" The group of men all laughed in sick unison, even as Draco's heart began to pound in panic. Out of the cauldron, into the fire, then. _

"_I don't want any trouble, just please leave me alone," Draco muttered as he pulled himself up off of the cold concrete and started to make his way away from the alley, praying to every deity that the men would not follow, that they would grow bored of the game and move on to harass someone else. A grimy, dry hand closed around his arm, sending cold terror down his spine as he spun around to be faced with the same man who had been taunting him._

"_Not so fast, boy-o. I think yer should come home wif' me, I do. Tha' accent there says you's gots a nice piece o' tail under them strange garments. Come quietly, and I'll think 'bout being gentle...at first."_

_Draco began to tremble, horrified that his beloved accent had betrayed him so thoroughly. He tried to yank his arm out of the man's grip, but his weakened state was nothing compared to the burly man's strength. _

"_Please don't do this..." Draco pleaded in a last ditch effort, even though the first rule of Malfoy etiquette was that Malfoys _never_ beg. Etiquette be damned; he was about to be defiled in the worst sort of way possible. He suddenly wished he was back on the wrong end of his aunt's birch wand, writhing on the grimy shack floor as she sent _Crucio_ after _Crucio_ at him. Something told him that_ that_would hurt much less than what he was about to experience._

_The man grinned evilly at him, his yellowed and crooked teeth barred at the young blonde, who stunk of fear and exhaustion, even to the unenhanced senses. "Welcome to hell, boy-o." _

S~S~S~S

Draco sat bolt upright in bed, his breathing ragged and laboured, as if he had just run a mile. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat, even though his room was quite chilly due to the dying embers in the hearth. His stomach was in danger of emptying its contents as Draco remembered the more horrible points of the dream. The room was spinning, and Draco couldn't make it out of bed quick enough before he wretched over the side, clutching his head desperately.

What kind of sick, twisted person would ever do those things to another human being, especially against their will? Draco's stomach revolted once more as he finally realized that this was most likely not just some sick dream; it was a memory.

Climbing out of bed as carefully as he could to avoid his mess, Draco grabbed his wand and cleaned up before pulling his dressing gown and slippers on. He had no idea what time it was, fairly late, he was sure, but this simply could _not_ wait until morning. He had to know for sure if his subconscious was planting disturbing nightmares from fiction, or if he had just regained the most horrible memory of his life. If anyone would know, his godfather would be the one to ask.

The Potions Master's quarters were dark and quiet, of course, as the two present occupants were fast asleep in their own beds, hopefully experiencing much better dreams than his own. Draco carefully and quietly moved down the hall towards Severus' bedroom and knocked lightly on the door. It only took a few moments before the door creaked open and Severus peered out, looking confused and exhausted.

"Draco? What is it?" Severus asked, noticing slightly belatedly that the boy was deathly pale and looked beyond horrified. His bed-head wasn't that scary, was it?

"I'm sorry to wake you, Severus, but I just had the most horrible dream and...I think it might have actually been a memory returning. I was hoping you'd be able to confirm or deny that suspicion," Draco said, trying to keep his voice calm even as he felt ill again at the thought of all of that being _real_.

"Well, come in I guess, and we'll discuss it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to confirm or deny anything, depending on the dream – "

"Draco? Is everything alright?" Harry had slipped out into the hall, wearing nothing but a pair of sleep pants and a dressing gown, hanging open even in the slightly chilly air.

Harry was the last person Draco wanted to discuss this dream with. If this was actually a memory, how could Draco ever look at his boyfriend the same again? The idea of being intimate with Harry now seemed distorted and disturbing as his memories warred with his past desires. It was all so confusing.

"I'm ok, Harry, I just had a bad dream I wanted to discuss it with Severus. You can go back to sleep, it's alright."

"I want to help, though. Please?"

Draco looked pleadingly at his godfather, hoping the man would pick up his line of thinking and insist that Harry go back to sleep. He was unsuccessful, however, as Severus sighed and nodded for Harry to join them. Apparently the Potions Professor had mistaken Draco's pleading look to deny Harry, for one to _include_ Harry in the discussion. _Bugger_. He trailed after Severus into the man's room, Harry following close behind him. He tried his hardest not to flinch away, but Harry noticed his discomfort and thankfully gave him more space.

"Now, what did this dream include, exactly?" Severus asked as he sat back on his bed, his back against the headboard as both Harry and Draco took spots near the foot of the enormous bed.

Draco felt his face warm up and his insides twist unpleasantly, but he pushed through the discomfort. "I was...I was in Muggle London, lost and tired, and I stopped outside a pub in the back alley to catch my breath and rest a little bit. This group of drunken men came out of the pub and...they started taunting me. I tried to tell them to leave me alone, and I even tried to walk away, but the one who had started it all grabbed my arm and...he dragged me away to a car parked close by, and two of the other men held me down in the backseat as he drove away. They covered my head so I couldn't see where we were going, not that I had any idea where I was anyways. Once the car stopped, they dragged me out and into a rundown flat.

"It gets kind of blurry after that, because one of the men made me drink something and my vision and hearing got really fuzzy, but...they...they stripped me and...and touched me..."

"Stop, Draco, please," Harry chocked out, not realizing he was trembling and had tears in his eyes. He knew what this was; the memory he had seen, the very same one he had used as an anchor to pull Draco out of his coma. He had promised not to tell anyone, but now his father knew, and he had heard it straight from Draco. Something in his expression must have given him away.

"Draco, could you please excuse for a few minutes?" Severus asked, grabbing his wand from his bedside table. Draco nodded with a soft whimper as he moved off of the bed and towards the door. He was utterly horrified that the dream had indeed been a real memory after all.

Severus locked the door and silenced the room with his wand, staring at his son, who looked ill and scared. "You knew about this, didn't you, Harry?" he asked in a carefully controlled, quiet voice.

"I saw it during an Occlumency lesson, but he made me promise – _swear_ not to tell anyone, including you. I wanted to tell you, I even begged Draco to do it himself but he was too scared! Then the accident happened and I was the only one who knew, but I had sworn on my mother's grave that I wouldn't tell anyone," Harry explained, feeling trapped and helpless.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to reel in his anger. He knew Harry's intentions had only been good ones, but he was horrified that his godson had gone through something like that and kept it all to himself. Would knowing about it have changed anything? Probably not, but it was the principle of the matter. Suddenly, Severus understood more clearly than ever before.

"This is the memory you used as the anchor to pull Draco out of his coma, isn't it?"

Harry nodded slowly, hoping his father would understand. Harry knew he should have told someone, but he let his burgeoning feelings for Draco take over. "I'm sorry, I know someone should have told you, but my promise and the vow Draco and I both made kept me from being able to tell you."

"You should found another way. Now it's probably too late to find these men and bring them to justice. You knew Draco would remember this eventually! If you would have told me, I could have better prepared him for the shock. He's terrified and absolutely horrified, and there's nothing I can do."

"With all due respect, sir, there was really nothing you could do either way. Even if you had known and told him about it, you can't erase it or make it so it never happened. He has to live with it either way. I think you're being completely unfair."

"Then we have something in common, Potter, because I think you've been completely unfair to Draco. Go back to bed so I can speak with Draco in peace."

Harry wanted to protest and demand that the Potions Master see reason, but he knew that this wasn't about him, it was about Draco. He left the room without another word, nearly running into Draco in the hallway.

"Harry, what's going on? Why did Severus want to talk to _you_ about this?" Draco asked with a bewildered expression. He'd tried to listen in, but of course the room had been charmed silent.

Harry felt his stomach churn uncomfortably as he saw how pale and confused Draco looked. The guilt started to rise in his throat, and it nearly strangled him. "I'm so sorry, Draco...I knew about what those men did to you, but – "

"You _knew_? Why didn't you tell me, Harry? You knew I'd get the memory back," Draco said in earnest as tears welled up in his eyes. How could Harry keep something like that from him, just let it sneak up on him in his sleep?

"Please, Draco – "

"I told you to go back to bed, now _go_," Severus hissed as he walked into the hall and saw his godson close to falling apart.

"_Please_, Dad..." Harry begged, annoyed that no one would let him get a word in. He felt turned upon, like he was completely alone and no one would ever believe him. He couldn't stand to be near his father or boyfriend anymore. Harry turned on his heel and, still in scant clothing and no slippers, made his way out of the dungeon quarters and towards Gryffindor tower. If anyone would understand, it was Hermione.

However, once he had entered the common room, he remembered it was the middle of the night, and Hermione was bound to be asleep. He sighed in relief as he spotted a fourth year girl sitting by the fire, scribbling away in the faint light.

"Jenicka?" Harry took a stab at her name, fairly sure he was right because he remembered her sorting four years previous. He sighed heavily as the girl looked up at him, then promptly blushed when _she_ blushed at his lack of appropriate clothing.

"Er...H-Harry?"

"I know it's really late, but I really need to talk to Hermione. Could you go and wake her for me, please?' Harry asked as politely as he could, cringing at the desperation in his own voice.

Jenicka sighed as she noticed his earnest expression and defeated posture. "Yeah, sure I will, Harry." She gathered up her parchment and quills before heading up the staircase leading up to the girls' dorms.

A few minutes later, a sleepy and worried Hermione came quickly down the stairs wrapped in her dressing gown and shuffling along in red fluffy slippers. "Harry, what's wrong? Jen said you looked quite upset."

Harry felt extremely relieved as Hermione came closer. This, at least, was something he knew he could always count on; Hermione, concerned and always there whenever he needed her. He felt his emotions go haywire as he tried to think of what to tell her first and only ended up shaking his head, unable to explain as moisture began to burn behind his eyes. Hermione promptly wrapped her arms around him and held him close, whispering that everything would be ok. Harry just cried into her shoulder, hoping that she was right.

S~S~S~S

Harry woke to the sound of hushed voices and annoying whispers. He had no idea why it sounded like there was a crowd of girls standing in his bedroom, until he remembered that he was in the Gryffindor common room with Hermione. Asleep. On the sofa. Together. _Bollocks!_

Harry's eyes sprang open and he sat up, jostling Hermione, who had fallen asleep with her head on his still embarrassingly bare chest. She sat up stretched, stopping mid-yawn when she saw a group of three fourth year girls and two fifth year boys staring and pointing. Harry gave her a pained look, already imagining the wild rumours that were going to spread now.

"What are you all staring at? You lot get to breakfast before it's over," Hermione commanded, extremely glad that she had the authority to do so as a Prefect. The room began to clear, but the few giggles and hushed wolf whistles foretold of rumours that neither Harry nor Hermione wanted to deal with.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I should have gone back to the dungeons last night," Harry sighed, wrapping his dressing gown closer to him to cover up his bare chest. Not only had they been seen asleep together on the common room sofa, but Harry had been _half-naked!_ Great, just bloody _fantastic_.

Hermione offered him a gentle smile, not really caring about the rumours that would crop up over this in the least, because Harry had needed her last night, and best friends always come first. "Don't apologize, Harry. I don't think either of us intended to fall asleep together last night, we were just too drained to get back to our beds. I don't care what people think; it's none of their business anyways."

Harry sighed in relief and returned Hermione's smile, glad all over again that he had such a wonderful friend to turn to. "Thanks, Hermione. I was just so upset; I couldn't stand to be near either of them anymore." Harry had explained the entire situation to Hermione, and they had stayed up late into the night and the early hours of the morning talking it through. Harry still wasn't sure how things were going to pan out, but Hermione had helped him come up with a plan to explain everything to both his father and Draco to hopefully get them to understand and stop feeling so betrayed.

"You're welcome, Harry. We all need an escape sometimes. Just remember what I told you, and don't get discouraged if things remain a little tense for a little while. I'm sure everything will smooth over. They both love you; they can't stay mad forever."

Harry nodded with another heavy sigh, feeling slightly more than hopeless thanks to Hermione. He figured it wouldn't do to beat around the bush, so he'd need to talk to Draco and his father soon. "Er, Hermione? Can you do me another favour, please?"

"Anything, Harry," Hermione said with a bright smile, laughing as he blushed slightly.

"Can you transfigure my clothes for me? I really would hate to walk through the entire castle half-naked…again."

Hermione laughed even harder as she pulled out her wand and aimed it at Harry's clothing, giving it a complicated twirl that turned his dressing gown into a simple black shirt, and his sleep pants into jeans. "Next time, put some clothes on. I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't appreciate you streaking across the castle again."

"Oye!"

S~S~S~S

When Harry reached the dungeon quarters he shared with Severus, the door was slightly ajar, and he could hear heated voices floating out into the corridor.

"…utterly ridiculous, Albus, and you know it! He shouldn't be out there; he should be here, getting ready for spring term to begin. He should be here with _me_."

"My dear boy, there was need of him for the search. He is the only Order member that can get in with Greyback, and we had to explore all possibilities. If there is any chance that Nymphadora is with Greyback, Remus is the only one that could help her."

"Bollocks! I can almost guarantee you that Greyback has had nothing to do with Tonks' disappearance. He's not smart enough to pull it off undetected. No, this was the work of someone higher up, someone with more intelligence than a common Death Eater. I can guarantee you it was an Inner Circle follower, Albus. I _know_ what I'm talking about here; I spent twenty years learning every action and attitude of the people who support the Dark Lord. With the escaped Death Eaters on the loose, I can promise you that Lucius, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, or Avery have her. MacNair or Mulciber may even have been able to pull it off if they had help from someone else. You find those seven, and you'll find the Auror; mark my words."

"It is not as simple as all that, Severus. If we knew where any of them were, would we not have already recovered Ms. Tonks? Remus made the same Oaths as everyone else when he joined the Order, and he knew what he was getting himself into. He agreed to this mission when I asked; I never twisted his arm or held him at wand point. He could have chosen to refuse, but he did not. That is not something that you should be discussing with me, but with your bond-mate."

"Yes, well, considering my bond-mate is MIA and hasn't sent any word of his whereabouts or well being, _it's a little difficult to discuss anything with him!_"

"Severus, I know you are worried and concerned for Remus' safety, but I assure you that he is doing alright, or else I would know about it. I have my ways. If Remus has not contacted you yet, then he is in a position where he is unable to, or I'm sure he would have gotten word to you by now. In fact I'm sure you'll hear from him as soon as he has the chance to get word to you. Now I will say again that your behaviour in the past couple of days has been unacceptable. You have a son to think about now, and you've been very selfish in your self-pity. Pull yourself together, Severus."

There was silence for a long couple of minutes, but then someone spoke and Harry had to move closer to the door to hear properly. It was Severus.

"I will try to do better, Albus, but I swear on the life of my son that if _anything_ happens to Remus, there will be hell to pay."

"Do not threaten me, my friend. It doesn't frighten me, nor will it guarantee Remus' safe return. The risks he takes as an Order member are voluntary, and he knew what those risks were. Please take better care of yourself, and remember that Harry is counting on you as a father."

"I have much to discuss with my son, so if you'll please excuse me, Headmaster, I'll fetch him from eavesdropping at the door."

_Bugger!_

"Good day, Severus." There was soft chuckle and the sound of flames roaring in the floo as the door opened wider, Severus frowning at him and gesturing for him to come inside. Harry blushed and followed his father into the sitting room, sitting on the sofa across from Severus' armchair.

"I'm sorry. I heard you both talking and I didn't want to interrupt," Harry said in the most innocent voice he could. He knew it hadn't worked, however, when the Potions Master scowled at him.

"So you decided to listen in on a private conversation instead. How very gracious of you, Potter," Severus drawled, conjuring a tea service and preparing his own cup. He didn't bother to offer any to Harry.

Harry flinched as the Potions Professor's tone reminded him uncomfortably of the past five years and all the hell he had been through with this man; the man who was now legally his father. It hurt more than a little bit, to say the least.

"Look, Dad, I'm sorry about everything. I know I should have told you about what happened to Draco. It was a foolish mistake, but I can't really change it now; it's too late. I – "

"I don't want to hear it, Harry. I heard you the first time you said it last night. You deliberately disobeyed me last night by leaving these quarters when I distinctly told you twice to go back to bed. There are reasons that I want you here in your own room at night, not off somewhere else in the castle, doing Merlin knows what. When term begins, you are indefinitely grounded. You may go to your classes and meals, but you will do all of your studying here, including your free periods. You will come straight home after dinner and stay here. If I cannot convince you to stay here when I tell you to, then I will do it by force. Do you understand me?"

It felt like the air had been knocked out of him as Harry nodded slowly. He could feel moisture burning behind his eyes, but he tried to keep control of his emotions. He knew he was being punished for more than just leaving their quarters last night, and he felt extremely hurt that his father would not even give him a chance to fully explain, or understand that Harry had not meant any harm by what he'd done; in fact, he'd been trying to protect Draco, and had refused at first to keep the information from Severus. It wasn't fair, but Harry had been through enough by now to know that life wasn't fair, and there was nothing else he could do. He had to do as his father told him. It was strange, being grounded for the first time.

"Say yes or no, don't just nod your head. Speak, boy," Severus snapped, making Harry flinch even more as he was reminded then of his Uncle Vernon and the treatment he had endured while living with the Dursleys.

"Yes, sir, I understand. May I be excused?"

"You may. Breakfast will end in fifteen minutes, so you'd best hurry if you wish to make it." Severus' voice was devoid of emotion, flat and uncaring. Oh, he cared, but he couldn't let Harry see his hurt and anger. He still had no idea what to think of the entire situation, but he knew he was angrier with Harry now than he had been in quite some time.

Harry quickly made his escape, just as the hot tears finally spilled over onto his cheeks. He had no idea it would hurt this much, disappointing his father. He had intended to speak with Draco that morning as well, but he didn't have the heart or energy to search him out and receive the same cold-shoulder and rejection. He just couldn't take seeing the pain in Draco's eyes. He felt so misunderstood, and desperately wished Remus was home. The werewolf would have seen things more logically, further removed from the situation to analyse it fairly. He would have pulled Severus around, but Remus was not there. He was searching for Tonks on a most likely bogus trail, manipulated into service like always. Harry had no desire to eat either, so he found a secluded classroom, locked the door, and slumped to the floor as he cried out his frustration, anger, hurt, and the injustice of it all.

* * *

**A/N:** Angsty, angst, angst! But what fun would fan fiction be without some tension, eh? Trust me, there's plenty more angst where this came from. Please review! I really love hearing all of your opinions and feedback, and I wish I received more. Thanks for reading!


	29. Promises

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait! School started up again and MERLIN am I busy! You're all going to hate me...Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 29.  
Promises**

Monday morning brought with it a bit of a surprise when Harry and Hermione walked into Defence. Since Remus had not yet returned from his mission, Harry had assumed the class would just be cancelled until the Defence Professor returned. Harry was stopped dead in his tracks as he saw his father sitting at Remus' desks, reading through schedules and teaching lessons as the rest of the class filed in and took their seats. Harry hadn't really spoken to the man much since his grounding started that day, but he thought he'd at least have mentioned he was subbing for Remus in Defence.

The second surprise of the morning burst through the door a minute after the tardy bell rang, making most of the class jump in fright. Severus looked up at the commotion and spotted his godson holding out a scroll of parchment towards him as he walked up to the desk.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor. I had to get this signed by the Headmaster before I could attend classes again," Draco said quietly as Severus read the scroll then handed it back to the Slytherin.

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy. Find a seat," Severus said as he waved towards the few desks that had remained unoccupied. Draco looked around and spotted Harry, then promptly sat on the other side of the room without a backward glance.

The entire class was staring at Draco, dumbfounded that the Slytherin had recovered enough from a three month coma and a serious bout of amnesia to attend classes once more. Some whispering broke out, but stopped abruptly as Severus stood and moved to the front of the class, mentally taking note of the three students who were not in attendance.

"Professor Lupin is away due to an emergency. There's no telling when he'll return, but until then, I am taking over his sixth and seventh year Defence classes, and Headmaster Dumbledore is taking over the rest. I've read through the lesson plans set out for this term, but I think, perhaps, that I will change things up a bit.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, unless you live under a rock, the Wizarding world has been in a very precarious state for a while now. Dark forces are trying to take over and topple Wizarding society as we know it today. It is of utmost importance that you, the next generation to face this upcoming evil, learn to defend yourselves from the challenges you will inevitably face.

"However, there is another side to this Art; offensive defence. Learning to block attacks, shield yourself from curses, and counter-act hexes will only get you so far when faced with a duel or battle of any sort. Most people, the ignorant ones I may add, associate offensive defence with Dark Magic. It's a foolish misconception that I hope to rid all of you of in due time. You can attack without ill-intent and still achieve a result that both weakens your opponent and protects you from further attack without injuring, maiming, or killing. In Charms, you learn all about counter-curses and anti-jinx, but they fail to accompany the lesson with what you are disarming and reversing. You cannot successfully block a spell that you do not first understand, in practise or theory. You've all been through five and a half years of Defence, though unfortunately your instructors have been less than satisfactory, with the exception of Professor Lupin. It is time that you begin to learn the other side."

Severus had moved all around the class, circling desks, gliding down aisles, and generally making the entire class fidgety and uncomfortable as he drawled on with his lecture. He had gotten them right where he wanted them.

"You will be placed into groups of three by me, and will begin a project. The goal of this project is to defend against the attack of an opponent using offensive spells only as your defence, while the third person must use defensive spells to help protect you should your offense be insufficient. Does everyone understand?"

There was a murmur around the room that could have been counted as assent, but Harry's hand shot up immediately. He waited patiently as Severus tried to ignore him as long as possible before finally sighing heavily and nodding at Harry to speak.

"Sir, what exactly qualifies as an offensive spell; any hex, curse or jinx, excluding Dark Magic?"

"If it will weaken, disarm, or stop your opponent from attacking, then it qualifies. For example, if I were to send a burning hex at you, what would you respond with? Remember, offensive spells only," Severus said, fixing his son with an intense look. He hoped that Harry would be able to give a sufficient answer, or else they all might perish for his ignorance.

"Well, since I can't defend myself with a block or shield, I'd respond with _Aguamenti Maximus_, which should counter-act the fire element of your spell while sending a flood of water at you, slowing you down considerably for counter-attack," Harry responded confidently, knowing that Severus was trying to challenge him. He knew Defence; that was his forte. He'd win at this.

"And what if I were to respond with a Flash-freeze spell?"

Harry's brow furrowed as he thought about that. Why would his father want to turn mostly harmless water into deadly spear-like ice crystals?

"That would be a very bad idea, sir, seeing as the water coming towards you would turn to icy spikes that would most likely kill you."

Severus nodded, trying not to show his pride at Harry's answer. The boy clearly knew his stuff, but that didn't mean he had to praise him like some dotting father. "Very good, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor."

Harry's eyes went wide as Severus gave him points...for the very first time, he was positively sure. So maybe his father wasn't quite as angry with him as he originally thought.

"Now, time for breaking you into groups. Potter, Weasley, and Malfoy will form one group. Granger, Parkinson, and Bulstrode, you're group two. Zabini, Thomas, and Longbottom, group three. Nott, Finnigan, and Goyle, group four. Brown, Patil, and Crabbe, group five. Anymore questions? Get to work, and use your common sense; no harmful spells."

Harry groaned, sending a glare at his father, which was pointless as the man had turned his back to him to walk back to the front of the classroom. Of course he'd be grouped with the best friend who currently despised him and a boyfriend who wouldn't even look at him properly. Ron's expression mirrored Harry's, while Draco just stared down at the ground, waiting for someone to do something.

"Potter, Weasley! What are you waiting for?" Severus snapped as he walked past their group while monitoring the rest of the students starting their own duels. He was lucky they had extended the Defence classroom for practical lessons.

Harry and Ron both fixed the Professor with matching glares again, making it hard for Severus to keep his laughter in. Draco continued to stare at the floor, looking despondent and wishing he hadn't started classes again after all.

"Weasley, you're the attacker; Potter, you're the defender; and Malfoy, you'll be using offensive spells only. I want to see you at it."

Ron and Draco both moved into duelling stances, Harry off to the side of Draco as they both raised their wands. Draco finally looked up, a split second before Ron threw a blasting curse at him. "_Confringo!_"

Draco slashed his wand nearly before the words had left Ron's mouth and shouted, "_Ventus Maximus!_" A strong gust of wind redirected the curse back at Ron, who ducked just in time and let the curse hit a bookshelf behind him, which promptly exploded all over the place.

"Please try to keep the classroom intact!" Severus shouted, sending a powerful _Reparo_ at the bookshelf and placing all the books back on the shelf.

Ron recovered quickly, jabbing his wand towards Draco with an intense look of concentration on his face. "_Incarcerous!_" Large chains sprang forth from Ron's wand, surprising everyone as the curse usually conjured strong rope.

Draco nearly panicked as the chains came flying straight at his face. He couldn't think of an offensive spell that would counter heavy chains sailing towards him, and when it was nearly too late to stop them at all, Harry stepped in front of him and brandished his wand, also using his body to shield Draco should his spell fail.

"_Protego!_"

There was a loud clang as the chains hit some invisible barrier surrounding Harry and Draco. Somehow Draco had ended up clinging to the back of Harry's robes, his face buried against the fabric. He felt extremely foolish and tried to pull away from Harry, but the Gryffindor turned around and grabbed his chin to keep him from turning away.

"Are you alright, Draco? Merlin, I thought those chains were going to suffocate you." Harry quickly turned on Ron, who looked frightened of his own spell work. "What the _hell_ was that, Ron? Since when does a binding-spell conjure _chains?_" Harry asked Severus, who had banished the heavy chains and removed the shielding spell around his son and godson quickly.

"The binding-spell will produce chains only when an extreme amount of magic is put into the spell. Obviously, Weasley has a strong desire to watch Malfoy be crushed to death by chains. I _said_ no harmful spells, Weasley. Twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But I had no idea that would happen! I was just concentrating too hard, honestly!" Ron exclaimed, stung that the Professor had taken points because of an accident. He truly had no idea concentrating that much on a binding-spell had such potentially deadly effects.

"Then perhaps you should have paid more attention in Charms class, Mr. Weasley. It has been twenty years since my sixth year Charms class and even _I_ remember learning the sensitivity of extreme concentration on specific spells. Since Weasley is determined to cause injury, Potter will be the attacker instead," Severus said with a stern look at his son, who looked like he wanted to protest immediately.

"I can't curse Draco," Harry ground out quietly, hoping that only his father would hear him. He couldn't hex his boyfriend, not after everything he'd been through that summer with being attacked by a barrage of spells.

"You can and will, Potter, or it'll be fifty more points," the Potions Master snapped, getting extremely tired of the attitudes he was encountering. Why had he agreed to do this in two different classes for the foreseeable future?

Harry took a deep breath to control the anger that so wanted to spring forth and curse his own father instead of his boyfriend. He turned back around to face Draco, who was focussing just over his left shoulder instead of meeting his eyes. Harry used the anger that had been building up to muster up his pride and shoot a curse at Draco.

"_Aguamenti Maximus!_" A giant wall of water rose up and curled over itself, heading straight for Draco, and Ron, who looked absolutely terrified that he might have to somehow counter-act it with a defensive spell of some sort.

"_Vomica Velociter Ostendo!_" Draco moved his wand in a complicated arch and slashing movement that Harry had sworn he'd seen before, but couldn't remember what it did. He figured it out when his tidal wave of water turned into a massive wall of boiling water, and came flying back at him.

Harry could only think of one option, even though he had told his father it would be a stupid move mere minutes ago. He didn't have time to think just then; he preferred not to be cooked alive, thanks. "_Congelo Cursim!_" The wave of water suddenly turned into a wall of ice, which shattered and sent sharp ice crystals flying through the air.

"_Protego Totalum!_" Severus shouted and he whipped his wand around his head in a wide arch, sending a massive shield to protect all of the students and himself. The ice crystals bounced off the shield and made a horribly loud crashing and clattering noise as they all fell to the floor, shattering even more upon impact. Severus banished the mess of ice and fixed his pointed glare on his son and godson.

"It is possible for your group to _not _maim or kill anyone this morning? No harmful spells means no _potentially_ harmful spells as well! _Clearly_ we are going to have to review more before the practical lessons continue. Everyone put your wands away and get out your books. Read chapter eighteen on offensive defence magic until the end of the lesson. Granger, you're in charge. Potter, Malfoy, in the hall – _now_."

The entire class groaned and sent glares at both Harry and Draco, who were determinedly not looking at each other as they followed Severus out of the classroom and down the corridor a ways until the Potions Professor-turned-Defence Professor stopped abruptly and cast a privacy charm around them.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I have a horrible headache, can I –" Draco began, but was cut off by a sharp gesture from the Potions Master.

"_Silence!_ I do not care about your lover's tiff or what have you, but I _do_ care if you two end up unintentionally killing each other because you're both being immature fools. You both need to concentrate and stop letting your emotions get in the way. If you'd been thinking properly, you'd have known not to boil that water Draco, as it would result in horrific injuries, or you'd have known to use a drought charm on the boiling water instead of a flash-freeze charm, Harry. These are the types of things you may face after Hogwarts, maybe even before. You cannot let matters of the heart effect you so much."

"You're such a _hypocrite!_ Who was the one throwing a fit and drowning in Firewhiskey when Remus left to go on his mission? Maybe you should heed your own advice, _sir_," Harry snapped, surprised with himself for being so nasty. He could understand his father's emotional display after Remus had left, but being told 'do and I say, not as I do' was not something Harry did well with.

Severus' eyes slammed shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose, praying for patience from someone – _anyone_ – or else he might throttle his own child. The nerve of the boy was beyond irritating and it had pushed his patience too far already. His eyes snapped open after a few seconds and pinned Harry with the strongest glare he possessed. Harry cowed slightly and looked away, looking properly ashamed.

"I am not talking about myself or Remus, Harry; I am talking about the both of _you_. Remus and I are both adults, and we handle such things much differently. Do not pretend that you understand anything I have been through, because you have _no_ idea. Talk it out, get over it, break up; whatever – I don't care, but get your act _together._" Severus stormed back in the direction of the Defence classroom, leaving Harry and Draco alone in the corridor, still refusing to meet each other's eyes.

"He's right, Harry..."

"I know, Draco. Look, I'm sorry alright, I never meant for you to get hurt by keeping that memory to myself. I guess I – "

"No – _stop_, Harry. I meant he's right, we should...we should break up," Draco whispered the last part, finally looking up at Harry. His grey eyes looked so haunted and full of pain, and Harry felt like he couldn't breathe.

"What...? Draco – no, _please!_ You haven't even let me explain properly!" Harry exclaimed, his voice breaking at the end as he saw the anguish in Draco's expression. He knew he must look quite similar as tears gathered in his eyes and threatened to spill over.

"I don't think I can forgive you for this, Harry, whatever the reason. Besides, I need to focus on school and getting all of my memories back and you're...you're just a distraction," Draco said plainly, keeping as much emotion out of his voice as he could, though he was clearly upset.

Harry jerked back as if Draco had physically slapped him. He could have sworn his heart had literally cracked in two in that instant as his chest ached horribly. "I'm just a _distraction?_ So all that talk about you loving me, everything we've been through – it's all been one big sham?"

"I don't know, Harry! I just...I need some time, alright? Just a little bit of time on my own for a while. I...I _do_ love you, but I don't exactly know what that _means_ right now. Just give me some time..." Draco pleaded, feeling worn out and stretched too thin. He hated seeing Harry so crushed, but he was overwhelmed. It was all proving to be too much. His head was pounding, and all he wanted to do was find a dark corner, curl up, and die.

"Why does it have to mean anything, Draco? I love you, and all it means is that I'd do anything in the world for you if it meant keeping you safe and happy, such as pulling you out of a hopeless coma and giving you your life back. But I'll also give you this, Draco, just because you asked nicely. You can have all the time in the world, because while you're figuring out what loving me _means_, I have to save the rest of the world from a raving lunatic, and I'll probably die as well in the process. So you enjoy that time alone, alright?" Harry said quietly, feeling his entire body shake with emotion as he walked away from Draco, who had dissolved into tears and slumped against the wall behind him.

Harry walked away. He kept walking, and walking, and walking; never stopping. He had no idea where he was going, or if he was even going anywhere specific. All he knew was that if he fell from the highest tower of Hogwarts just then, he wouldn't have minded one bit. Bells rang, students passed him, hours passed him, and he kept walking. Upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside; he just walked. Finally when he reached the Owlery, Harry stopped walking, and sat in the open windowsill. The frigid air of January bit at his exposed skin, but he didn't care in the least. He jolted slightly as Hedwig flew down from the rafters and landed on his shoulder, giving a doleful hoot as she nudged his ear with her cold beak.

"I wish I could just fly away, like an owl. I'd fly away into the night, and never look back. I'd get away from it all; the expectations, the stress, the heartache, the disappointment I caused my father. Someday, I'll fly away from it all," Harry whispered to Hedwig, who nudged his cheek with her feathery head and gave another hoot, this one sounding sympathetic and comforting.

Harry sat in that windowsill until the sun set and the stars and moon glittered against the charcoal background. He knew he had to return to the dungeons soon, or else Severus would send out a search party and ground him for the rest of his life. Uncurling himself from the uncomfortable windowsill, Harry gave Hedwig one last pet on the head before returning her to the rafters and making his way out of the Owlery and down to the dungeons, where he hoped to crawl in bed, fall asleep, and never wake up again.

S~S~S~S

Just as Harry expected, Severus was waiting in the sitting room for him, looking thunderous and ready to scream for hours. Harry just wanted to go to bed and drown in his own misery, but he doubted he'd get off so easily. He didn't care if his father grounded him for life; there was no reason to leave his room anymore anyways.

"Where the _hell_ have you been all day, Harry James Potter?"

_Whoa, did he just use my full name? I'm done for..._Harry thought with a groan. He didn't bother to sit down anywhere, as he was hoping Severus would scream at him for a few minutes and send him to bed. Oh yeah, his answer. "I was in the Owlery all day. Can I please go to bed?"

"No, you may not. You missed all of your classes on the first day of the term! That's a wonderful way to start out. What on earth did you say to Draco as well? He looked completely distraught for the entire day after Defence."

Harry felt the burning behind his eyes again, but he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I'm sorry; I just needed some time to think. Draco...Draco broke up with me, so you got what you wanted. Can I _please_ go to bed, Dad? I just want to sleep..."

Severus had not expected that. He knew Draco was upset with Harry, but he never expected the blonde to break things off with his son. His anger abated slightly; he knew how Harry must feel, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"That is not what I wanted, Harry. I'm sorry to hear that. You will not miss another class this term unless mortally injured or extremely sick, do you understand?"

Harry nodded slowly, feeling relieved that Severus' anger seemed to dim after he found out what had happened. "Yes sir, I understand. Can I – "

"Have you eaten anything today?" Severus cut Harry off before he could ask to go to bed again. He was fairly sure the Gryffindor hadn't eaten anything since the single slice of toast this morning, and he wasn't about to let the boy starve himself.

"Not since breakfast."

"Dobby!"

There was a loud pop as the house elf appeared in their sitting room. "You called for Dobby, Master Professor Snape, sir?"

"Can you please prepare a light dinner for Harry, something that won't upset his stomach?" Severus asked of the elf, who was already nodding and grinning over at Harry. On closer inspection, the Gryffindor looked worse than Draco had all day.

"Yes sirs, of course! Dobby will bring Master Harry some onion and cheese soup like Master Professor Snape likes when he is sick."

There was another loud pop as Dobby disapparated presumably back to the kitchens to prepare Harry's food. Severus was glad that the elf had taken a liking to him and his son, and was always willing to help them out.

"How did he know what I eat when I'm sick? Strange little creature..."

"Because you always eat onion and cheese soup when you're sick or upset. Anyone who's spent any time with you knows that, Dad," Harry said as he plopped down on the sofa and curled himself into the cushions, trying to ignore the fact that he was kind of hungry, and very thankful that his dad had thought to ask Dobby to bring him something.

Severus gave Harry a strange look, feeling sympathetic as the teen looked so defeated and tired. He supposed the break up was punishment on its own, so he'd let Harry's day of ditching go. He hadn't intended for the boys to actually split up, and he had a feeling it would be only very temporary while Draco tried to deal with the ramifications of regaining such a heinous memory. His annoyance with Harry suddenly felt very fresh, but he didn't have the heart to berate the boy now.

"Perhaps it's best that you two don't see each other, at least for right now. Draco has so much to think about right now, and he must work extra hard in his classes to keep up. I'm sure he still has feelings for you; he just needs to get his priorities straight."

Harry looked up at his father with such a haunted look in his eyes that Severus nearly recoiled. Had their short relationship really meant that much to him? Stupid question, really; when you're sixteen and someone tells you they love you, you're going to believe it. But had they gone that far yet?

"I understand his reasons, though the way he went about explaining was a little...blunt. But understood or not, it still hurts. When he said he loved me, I thought he actually meant it." Harry's voice cracked at the end, and he wished more than ever that Severus had just let him go straight to bed. Where was blasted Dobby with that damned soup already?

_Perhaps I _am_ being too hard on the boy_, Severus thought as he watched Harry attempt to dry his burgeoning tears without his father noticing. He knew that if he wanted to keep his son sane, keeping him from talking to his friends – or at least just Hermione – was not the way to go about it.

"I know it hurts, Harry, and I'm sure he did mean it, and probably still does. He just needs a little bit of time on his own to straighten out his life. I doubt that this is permanent; you two have been through way too much to just simply forget each other."

Dobby appeared then, hovering a tray of warm soup, bread, and pumpkin juice over to Harry, who looked like he'd rather climb under a rock and die than eat anything.

Severus watched the boy eat, making sure he consumed at least half of it. He knew it was hard to stomach anything with a broken heart, but the boy was already severely malnourished enough as it was. Harry pushed the tray away, and Dobby popped in to take it back to the kitchens once more.

"I will make an exception and allow you to invite Ms. Granger to study with you, but you must do it here and not elsewhere. You should get some sleep, you have much to make up in your classes tomorrow," Severus said as he stood up and made to head to his own bedroom. He was shocked when he suddenly felt someone hugging him, and instinctively he put his arms around his son.

"Thank you, Dad," Harry whispered into the thick wool of Severus' robes, hoping it would mask the fresh tears that had started to fall. By Merlin, he felt like such a cry baby. He'd never cried so much in his entire life before that summer.

Severus pulled away from the hug and kneeled down in front of Harry, his hands held lightly to the Gryffindor's shoulders. "I'm sorry you're going through such a rough time right now, Harry, and in time I will forgive you. You must understand that I have considered Draco as a son since the boy was born, so yes, I am a bit biased. I am not saying I care about him more, I have just cared about him longer, and the boy truly has no one else in the world. Draco will forgive you too; he just needs to come to terms with the things he's been through. We both know that none of it is your fault, but you could have made things a little bit easier by telling someone before he remembered on his own."

"No, Dad, I couldn't. It wouldn't matter if I had described the entire scene to him a hundred times before he had that dream; it would never get easier. I promised Draco that I would never tell anyone, and he promised me in return that he would tell you about it when he was ready to. Unfortunately he never got that chance, and that _is_ my fault. I don't think it's wrong to keep a secret for someone you love. How could Draco ever trust me again if I _had_ told you? Having Draco remember it naturally was far better than thrusting the information at him before his mind was ready to cope with a memory like that.

"I'm sorry that Draco went through any of that, I truly am, and I'm sorry he's going through the pain of remembering it like it's fresh, but there was no way to prevent that. I love him, and I would do anything to keep him from feeling that pain, but having told either of you before he remembered on his own would have caused him more pain than not, and I don't understand why you both don't see that. Try to think of it from my point of view. What if it were Remus in Draco's place and you in mine? What would you do, Dad?"

Severus took a few seconds to really think about that question. What if it had been Remus? Obviously they were all very different people, but if it had been Remus going through everything that Draco had been through, and he was in Harry's place...a strong wave of guilt hit him so hard, he thought he might actually fall over.

"I wouldn't have told a soul aMbout it if it were Remus, to be quite honest. I love him too much to betray him that way. I'm sorry, Harry, I've been so unfair to you," Severus said as he pulled the boy into another hug, wishing he had stopped long enough before to think about what Harry was feeling. He had chosen sides too soon, blinded by the pain that Draco was feeling over the discovery of the abuse. He had abandoned his son so easily, and he felt terrible.

Harry felt such a sudden flood of relief that he felt almost limp in his father's arms. Had it really been that easy to get Severus to understand? If only he could get Draco to see things his way and win him back. He felt so bereft and lost without Draco that it scared him. He had grown so dependent on the blonde's partnership that he felt like half of him was missing without him.

"Thank you, Dad. I understand why you felt the way you did, but I was only trying to help him. I wish he would understand that," Harry muttered against the Potions Master's shoulder.

"Maybe he will, Harry, he just needs a little bit of time to come to terms with everything."

S~S~S~S

Hermione simply loved essays. Especially if the essay was on something that she, Merlin forbid, didn't already know everything about. Flipping through the pages of old and care-worn books in the Hogwarts library never ceased to amaze her. Sometimes she still feared that she would wake up and find that this was all a dream, even if it had been six years already. She had always been a very ambitious student, and that didn't change when she received her Hogwarts letter and came to the magical school. She had researched everything she possibly could after she got all of her books for school, and her trusty copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. Even being a Muggle-born, she knew more about Hogwarts on her first day than most of the Pure-blooded students did.

Of course she was underestimated because of her blood-status; she'd read about the prejudice before she'd even boarded the Hogwarts Express. Now, six years later, the hate that Witches and Wizards with impure blood received was getting more and more violent and serious. With Voldemort on the loose spreading hate and discord, Hermione's kind would never be fully accepted in the Magical community.

However, that didn't stop her from enjoying the essay she had to do for her Muggle Studies class. Yes, she was Muggle-born, but it was interesting to learn about Muggles from the eyes of Magical folk. This particular essay made her smile as she flipped through a book detailing Muggle appliances and their uses. She giggled to herself as she read the exact use of a blender, and thought that Potions might indeed be easier if they used a few Muggle appliances.

Hermione jumped quite violently as someone sat down in the seat beside her, dropping a book down on the table. She looked over, a glare already in place, and saw Draco, who looked paler than she had ever seen him before.

"You scared me half to death!" Hermione whispered, turning back to her essay and the book on Muggle appliances with an annoyed air.

Draco sighed heavily, pulling out parchment, ink, and quill from his book bag. He had spent nearly fifteen minutes looking for a book to complete his Potions essay in the wrong section of the library, too distracted by his own thoughts and this horrible, nagging headache to realise it. He flipped the book open and searched the index for what he needed before turning to look at Hermione, who didn't seem to require an answer to her statement, but was going to receive one anyways.

"Sorry, I'm just a little frustrated and my head is _killing_ me. I'll try to be quieter," Draco said in an undertone, his voice a slight bit frostier than he had intended for it to be. He shouldn't being taking things out on Hermione; none of his problems were her fault.

There was a tense silence as the two students worked on their separate essays, flipping pages in their books every so often to check a fact. Hermione couldn't contain her curiosity any longer, but she knew she had to be subtle, lest she send Draco running from her prying questions.

"I noticed that Harry skipped all of his classes today after Defence."

Draco's breath hitched and he felt a deep pang in his chest, making his heart feel like it was lodged in his throat. He took a few deep breaths and gulped before trusting himself to answer. Then he realised he had no idea what to say. What did she know already, and could he trust her anyways? After all, she was Harry's best friend, so her loyalty would obviously be to Harry first.

"Hmm," was his brilliant answered, accompanied by what he tried to make appear as a nonchalant shrug. What was it about Harry that always made him look and feel like a complete moron?

Hermione sighed exasperatedly as she set aside her quill and turned to face Draco properly. She'd been pretty worried about Harry all day, but seeing as how he ditched all of his classes, she figured he wanted to be alone, so she hadn't gone searching for him like she so wanted to.

"What happened, Draco? And don't pretend like you don't know, because I know you do."

"Look, I don't really want to talk about it, alright? I just want to finish this stupid essay and go to bed," Draco ground out through clenched teeth, wondering why on earth he had bothered to sit with the Gryffindor know-it-all in the first place. Huh, there was another memory he regained. He tried not to think about the special Rememberall Harry had given him, stuffed into the bottom of his trunk. Truth be told, Draco wasn't sure that he _wanted_ to remember everything. He was happy with his new life, or at least he had been before that damned dream. He shuddered as goose pimples spread across his too pale skin.

"I know about what happened the other night. He didn't tell me the memory that you regained, he just told me it was something bad and pretty horrible for you. He explained the entire situation to me. I really think you and Professor Snape ought to give him the chance to explain why he kept that memory from everyone. I mean, really think about it, Draco; do you really think you'd want Harry to tell anyone about that memory?"

Draco did stop to think about it many times, but he always felt so betrayed. Why would Harry keep something like that from him? He could have at least told Severus. However, Draco thought about his godfather's expression when they had talked about it, and how he felt so dirty – _tainted_ – and instantly felt like a fool. Of course he wouldn't want Harry to tell anyone, he'd want to make sure no one ever knew, especially his godfather. He was already ashamed enough of what had been done to him without a whole slew of people knowing about it as well.

"No, I'd want him to keep it to himself. Actually, I would prefer that Harry had never seen it either. I don't know how he can even look at me without being completely disgusted. But it's alright, he won't have to anymore. I broke up with him this morning," Draco said, his resolve even more secure as he thought about it all over again. Harry would never have to feel dirty by being with him; he had saved him from that, at least.

"Oh Draco, you're such an idiot. Harry had seen that memory over the summer, before your accident, before you both started dating. If he was disgusted by anything, do you think he would have stayed by your bedside while you were in a coma, or helped pull you out of that coma? Do you think he would have fallen in love with you if that memory had changed his views on you at all? You deeply underestimate his capacity for love and compassion. He didn't tell Professor Snape or you or anyone else about that memory because he was trying to protect you, and keep his promise to you. Even if you don't remember it, you made him promise not to tell a soul – swear on his _mother's grave_ – and I think it's very petty of you to hold that against him now. You're a fool, and Harry doesn't deserve any of this."

Hermione gathered her essay and books, shoving them pell-mell into her book bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She paused to glare at Draco, who looked on the verge of tears. She didn't care.

"Now I'm going to find Harry and make sure he's alright, because that's what _real_ friends do. I think you should just stop and think about all of this – _really_ think about it – because I won't let you hurt him like this again. When you decide what you really want, find him and apologise."

Draco watched as the Gryffindor flounced out of the library, every step looking angrier than the last. He felt a little indignant that she had the nerve to tell him what to do, but deep down, he knew everything she said had been right. He was a fool, and he'd hurt Harry because he was feeling ashamed of what had happened to him. His boyfriend had tried to protect him, and Draco repaid him by breaking his heart. Maybe Harry _was _better off without him.

Draco sat at that table in the library, staring off into space and thinking of the right way to apologise to Harry and try to win him back. He left only when Madam Pince walked through and informed him that the library was closing as it was ten minutes to curfew. He packed all of his stuff away and left the library, intending to wander for a while. After all, even with his amnesia, he was still a Slytherin Prefect, so he could claim he was doing rounds, despite the fact that he hadn't been to a single Prefect meeting all year. No matter, he'd just wander around anyways. Maybe this damned headache that had plagued him all day would go away.

_Wait, I'm a Slytherin Prefect?_

S~S~S~S

Severus felt like he was a hundred years old as he sat back in his cushy armchair, a cup of tea steaming on the table beside him. It had been half an hour since he'd sent his son to bed, and he was finally able to relax. He felt drained after the confrontation with Harry, and all he wanted to do was finish the most up-to-date Potions Compendium from Germany before heading to bed himself, where he would sleep alone again. His irritation and worry for Remus surged as he tried not to think about where his lover was, or what he was doing. He wanted him home, and waiting for his return without any word of his whereabouts was practically torture.

Just as he opened his book to continue reading, there was a gentle knock on the door to his dungeon quarters. Severus sighed, sat his book aside, and he went to the door to answer the knock.

"Ms. Granger, what can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry, Professor, I know it's late and close to curfew, but I just had a talk with Draco and he told me what happened with him and Harry. I wanted to come and make sure Harry was doing alright. Is he here?"

Severus sighed as he opened the door wider and motioned for her to come in, shutting the door carefully behind her. "He retired to his room about half an hour ago, but I'm almost positive that he is not yet asleep. You can knock and ask if he wants to see you; I'll not force company on him if he'd rather not have it."

Hermione smiled her thanks and moved down the hall towards Harry's room, pausing at the closed door to gather her wits about her. She had no idea what state Harry was in. Perhaps he did want to be left alone, but she had to at least make sure he was ok. She knocked gently, waiting patiently.

Harry had rolled over for about the ninth-hundredth time when he heard the knock on his door, and was silently glad for the distraction. Figuring it was probably just his father, Harry sat up and lit his wand. "Come in."

When Hermione came into the room, looking all the part of a worried mother hen searching out her injured chick, Harry felt the last of his resolve break free again. He didn't bother to hide the anguish on his face, because he knew he'd never be able to fool Hermione.

"He's such a fool, Harry, he really is."

Hermione sat on the edge of her best friend's bed, glad to offer comfort when Harry leaned his head on her shoulder and let out a shuttering breath, full of heartache and exhaustion. Some people just had all the bad luck, and Harry was unfortunately one of them.

"When will these storm clouds stop following you around, eh?"

Harry laughed for the first time in a while, but only because Hermione's statement was completely true. When would Fate decide that he'd been tortured enough and just let him live his life? He sighed as he realised that that would probably never happen.

S~S~S~S

It was dark and extremely cold, too cold to be outdoors dressed so leniently, but he had to grin and bear it. He'd had to follow the scent of the pack for some distance before finally catching up to them. He'd carefully cast Glamours to hide his real identity, as Fenrir Greyback was very familiar with Remus Lupin.

The waning crescent of a moon didn't give off nearly enough light, but as he was supposed to hide the fact that he was a Wizard as well as a werewolf, Remus could not light his wand to see better. He had pilfered a scrap of parchment from one of the other pack members, and a Muggle pen had been stashed in his tattered coat pocket. He scribbled at the top of the parchment to test the pen and, when satisfied that the ink had not dried up, he began his letter.

'_Panther,_

_I am well, though I must say that winter is most unforgiving these nights. I wish I had you here to keep me warm. I predict that it won't be much longer now before I am home; there has not been a scrap of information regarding my hunted. I hope you and the pup are doing well, and I miss you both dearly. I love you._

_Yours truly,_

_Moony'_

The owl who had hovered over the make-shift camp was sitting high in the tree that Remus was sitting against. Most everyone in the camp was asleep, though they all had extremely good hearing as well. Remus stood with his scrolled letter in his fist, scratching the bark of the tree to get the owl's attention. When the curious barn owl gave a soft hoot, Remus coaxed it down with a gesture of his hand. The owl landed gently on his outstretched arm and gladly offered its leg, which indeed had a delivering strap on. Remus quickly attached the scroll and whispered the destination of the letter to the owl, which gave a hoot of understanding and took off into the night.

Remus watched as the owl got smaller and smaller, disappearing in the weak moonlight illuminating the camp. He hoped that Severus had forgiven him enough to at least read the letter before attempting to throw it away. _Merlin_, did he miss that man.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm going to sleep with one eye open tonight, because I know I'm going to get murdered in my bed lol. Please review! It'll make me write faster!


	30. Seizure

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Sorry about the slow updates, but school has been pretty crazy so far. I love college, but it's taking over my life. Hope to have the next one out sooner! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 30.  
Seizure**

Professor McGonagall seemed determined to prove to Draco that he was not yet ready to attend N.E.W.T. classes with his peers. Draco was determined to prove her wrong. Every time she asked a question, Draco's hand shot into the air faster than Hermione's, and the Professor always picked him.

"What are the three main differences between Transmogrification and Transfiguration?"

"Transmogrification often results in grotesque or amusing shape-shifting, is more often than not a useless practice as the results are never practical, and Transfiguration is more widely used as not just shape-shifting, but complete transformation from one thing to another, sometimes permanently."

The Transfiguration Professor was hard put not to grudgingly offer Draco a slight smile and a nod of approval. Perhaps the boy had worked harder than she thought. "Ten points to Slytherin. Can anyone tell me the correct spell to use when trying to change an animal from one species to another?"

Draco didn't bother to raise his hand this time. He'd answered nearly every question for the entire review session, and he was bored of it already. He scribbled down a few notes whenever something came up that he didn't already know, but other than that, Double Transfiguration was extremely boring. Except for when his eyes trailed over to the other side of the room and focused on the back of a head full of unruly black hair.

The thin morning light streaming through the high windows of the Transfiguration classroom unfairly glinted off the locks of spiky black hair, dazzling his eyes as he drifted completely away from the lesson. That hair was soft, he knew that. It also smelt really good. Like soap and sweat and earth. The skin trailing down the back of his neck was soft as well, and tasted as good as it felt. He had the strongest urge to run his finger through that hair, and trace his tongue down that neck.

"Mr. Malfoy!"

Draco shook himself out of his reverie as Professor McGonagall shouted across the classroom. His heart jumped into his throat as the head he was staring at before turned, and bright green eyes met his. They looked completely haunted and beyond exhausted. He swallowed as he tore his gaze away and looked up at McGongall, who had moved to stand in front of him.

"Are you feeling well, Draco?"

And there was his opportunity to get away from those penetrating green eyes. Draco did his best to appear exhausted and ill, shaking his head slowly. He did still have a headache, after all, though it was starting to feel like a permanent fixture now. "I don't think so, Professor. I have a really bad headache. May I be excused to the infirmary?"

The Professor looked slightly disbelieving, but she nodded anyways. "Yes, you may. Mr. Potter, will you please escort Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary?"

"Really, Professor, I can make it on my own – "

"I will not be blamed if you end up passing out halfway there. Mr. Potter will escort you."

Draco gulped as he turned and met Harry's eyes again, flinching at the fear in them. Did he think Draco was going to hurt him? Well, he'd be right to fear that, since Draco had already hurt him once pretty badly. He gathered up his belongings and put them in his book bag, taking as much time as possible without making it look like he was stalling for time – which he was.

They met at the door, and the tension between them was almost palpable. Harry stood back and allowed Draco to pass through the door first before following, closing the heavy door behind them. The thick silence in the corridor felt oppressive and mocking, like the walls knew that the two teens were trying their hardest not to seem awkward around each other.

Draco felt bereft as Harry walked at least four feet away and a little ways behind him, watching the ground as they walked down the corridor, heading towards the stairs that would lead them up to the next floor and the infirmary. That strong urge that had seized him before in the classroom took hold of him again, and his steps faltered, causing Harry to stop abruptly behind him.

"This is so _stupid._" Draco's angry voice bounced off the walls and reverberated against the high windows as he turned to look at Harry, who looked shocked at the Slytherin's outburst. The fear that had plagued his haunted eyes was gone, however, and Draco felt such a strong sense of relief that his entire body slumped as he leaned back against the wall, dropping his book bag beside him. He rubbed his temples, wishing his headache would go away so he could think straight.

"Draco, are you alright?"

Draco squeezed his eyes closed against the image of Harry's concerned face coming closer to him. Even after everything he had said to the Gryffindor, and the sickening memory that Harry had been witness to, he was still capable of compassion for Draco. He let out a shuddering breath as he opened his eyes and found Harry much closer to him than before, looking like he wanted to reach out, but he was hesitating.

"_I'm_ stupid, Harry," Draco gasped as he pushed himself away from the wall and into Harry's arms, which wrapped around him instinctively, then tightened as the Gryffindor hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I should have told you before – "

Draco pulled away and pressed a finger to Harry's lips, feeling his warm breath waft over his fingers as the Gryffindor took deep breaths and exhaled haltingly.

"No, listen to me. I was scared, and so disgusted with myself that I thought you would never want to touch me again. How could you, after you saw what those men did to me? But then I realized, or rather Hermione _forced_ me to realize, that you had seen that memory long before we'd gotten together; before the accident, even. If it had changed anything about your feelings towards me, it would have happened long before now. You're not a distraction; you're what keeps me alive, what saved me from myself when you pulled me out of the coma. I love you and I'm an idiot. Forgive me?"

Draco let out a half sigh, half sob as Harry pulled him close and planted warm, wet kisses all over his face, finally ending with a rather forceful, passionate kiss to his trembling lips. His bones all seemed to turn to jelly and he slumped against Harry's wonderfully solid chest, happier than ever to have the Gryffindor holding him up, being his anchor and his rock.

"I forgive you." And those three simple words were enough to tear Draco apart and put him back together again as he sobbed against Harry's shoulder, letting out all of his frustration, pain, and anger at the universe for royally fucking him up so completely.

S~S~S~S

It was a free period already, and because of his grounding, Harry made his way down to the dungeons to spend the period in his room, revising for the test he had in Potions on Thursday. He sat his book bag heavily on the couch, pulling out his Potions book to take to his room. When he turned to walk down the hall he felt his heart jump in his throat as he drew his wand and brandished it.

A small barn owl was sitting on the bookshelf beside the hall, right at eye level. Harry didn't bother to lower his wand as he moved forward to read who the letter was addressed to.

"'Panther'?"

A stark scene of watching his father transform into an elegant black panther rose up even as he recognized the handwriting. Remus had finally written! Forgetting all about Potions review and his grounding, Harry carefully took the scroll from the owl, who gave a soft hoot and nipped at his finger as it flew back up through the hearth. He knew his father was teaching a class at the moment, but he didn't care; Remus had written, and Severus needed to know.

Being so very close to the Potions classroom, Harry took a moment to hesitate before knocking on the classroom door and waiting for a response. A girl that could be no older than twelve opened the door and looked up at him with wide, adoring eyes.

"I need to talk to Professor Snape right away."

The door was taken from the girl's small hand as the Potions Professor stepped forward to peer out at his son. "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry smiled at the clear concern in Severus' voice and nodded as he held up the scroll for Severus to see. "Remus has written."

A look of sheer relief washed over the Potions Master's face before his carefully constructed mask was back up, turning to his classroom full of curious second-years. "Continue reading chapter twenty on your own."

The classroom door banged shut as Severus reached for the scroll and slit it open, unrolling it quickly with shaking hands. Harry respectfully let his father read it on his own first, in case there was anything he shouldn't see written on the rather scraggily bit of parchment. He saw the tension leak from Severus' shoulders as the man read on, glad for the small smile tracing the usually stern man's lips. He gladly accepted the letter when his father handed it to him.

'_Panther,_

_I am well, though I must say that winter is most unforgiving these nights. I wish I had you here to keep me warm. I predict that it won't be much longer now before I am home; there has not been a scrap of information regarding my hunted. I hope you and the pup are doing well, and I miss you both dearly. I love you._

_Yours truly,_

_Moony'_

A mix of emotions swarmed in Harry's stomach, confusing his sense of relief with a sense of dread. Remus was alright, but there was no information on where Tonks was or who had her. That mixed with the very vague reference to being kept 'warm' by Severus and being referred to as 'the pup' sent a very strange feeling of warmth and indignation warring with all of the other emotions.

"When you teach me how to become an Animagus, I hope I turn into something like a monkey or an elephant; then our family would be like a magical menagerie."

The startled laughter from his father made Harry grin as he handed the letter back and gave the Potions Master's a quick, tight hug.

"Why aren't you in class, Harry, and who delivered this letter?"

"I have a free period right now, and a barn owl was waiting in our quarters with it. I saw Remus' handwriting on it and I brought it straight to you. I hope that fits in with my grounding," Harry said with a cheeky grin as his father cuffed him on the back of the head and rolled his eyes.

"Infernal brat. Back to your room, then." Just as the Potions Professor was turning back to his classroom, Harry caught his sleeve and smiled at his father.

"You know how you said I could invite Hermione to study with me? Can we include Draco in that?"

The Potions Master sighed dramatically, a knowing look on his face. "I really shouldn't, but I imagine you two need some time to talk, perhaps. You may invite Draco to study with you. I'll see you at dinner, Harry."

Harry beamed at his father before turning around and heading straight for Draco's personal quarters, already missing his boyfriend even though they had seen each other at lunch a few hours previous. He was afraid that he was being a tad too clingy, but after the last few days, he had reason to be clingy.

After pounding on the portrait about twenty times, Draco snatched it open from the inside, looking extremely annoyed and ready to throw curses. Who the hell had the nerve to pound on his door when his head felt like it was going to explode at any minute? When he saw that it was Harry, he scowled, but it slowly turned into a smirk.

"Miss me already, did you?"

Harry chuckled as he grabbed the front of Draco's robes and pulled him close, grinning as the other boy gasped. Their lips met in a very claiming kiss, each taking ownership of the other. Their relationship had seemed to take a deeper, more intense turn after the threat of losing each other, and they both welcomed it.

"Dad said you can come study with me, even though I'm supposed to be grounded."

Draco smirked, and Harry could almost see the mischief reflected in his slate grey eyes. So what if it made his heart speed up and his breath catch; he liked Draco this way.

"So what are we going to study, eh?"

"I was thinking Potions, since we have a test on Thursday, and I could use some help with the review," Harry said, slightly distracted by the way Draco kept nibbling on a sensitive spot on his neck.

"Hmm, I was thinking more along the lines of anatomy," Draco drawled against the soft skin of Harry's neck, laughing when the Gryffindor shuddered.

Harry could feel the blood pulsing through his veins, gathering in uncomfortable places and making his cheeks burn. Draco had never been quite this _open_ before, and Harry wondered if he had regained more memories, bringing him closer to his real age, with the real hormones of a sixteen-year-old Wizard. "They don't teach that here, Draco."

"Then I'll make it a private study."

Harry tried to resist as Draco pulled him back into his quarters, though he didn't fight very hard. "I can't miss anymore classes, Draco; my dad will have a fit."

Draco was pulling Harry by his tie, waving his wand to make the portrait close behind them. "You won't miss anymore classes. We still have forty minutes left of our free period. Come on, Harry," Draco whinged, drawing out Harry's name as he pulled the Gryffindor close and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Oh, _Merlin_."

S~S~S~S

Dinner was pretty quiet for the start of the new term, but at the Gryffindor table, whispers were being sent down the table along with strange glances and covert giggles. Harry was getting highly annoyed as a group of fifth year girls started pointing at him, whispering to each other and sending him awed looks. Hermione slammed her fork down and glared at the girls, who stopped pointing at once.

"This is getting ridiculous! Don't you all have better things to do than gossip? It's sickening! Get over it already." She scooped up her book bag and made a quick retreat out of the Great Hall without finishing her dinner.

Of course, Harry should have known they were talking about him and Hermione waking up together in the Gryffindor common room over winter break. Harry looked across the hall towards Draco, who was staring at Harry with the fiercest glare he had ever seen. Pansy Parkinson had just finished whispering in his ear.

"Oh, _shit_."

Harry made his way out of the hall at the same time as Draco, but he failed to notice Ron following him out into the Entrance Hall as well. Draco had stopped and turned to stare at him with his arms crossed over his chest. Just when Harry thought he and Draco were doing so well...

"What the hell am I hearing about you and Granger, Potter?"

Ron stepped up and placed himself not exactly beside Draco, but definitely not on Harry's side either. He looked just as thunderous as Draco did, and Harry felt a headache forming already.

"I'd like to know the same thing, actually."

"Can we please not do this in the middle of the Entrance Hall?" Harry whinged at Draco, feeling the stares of people who were leaving the Great Hall lingering on the three of them.

Draco looked like he wanted to protest and cause a huge scene in front of all of the other students, but he grudgingly gave in and nodded. This was _not_ helping his headache at all. "Fine, but I want to talk about it _now_."

"I'm going with, then!" Ron protested loudly as Draco started to walk towards the steps leading down to the dungeons, Harry following him. Ron hesitated at the top of the stairs as he realised where he would be following the other two. He gave a dramatic sigh before following behind them anyways, determined to figure out if all the ridiculous rumours he had heard were true. If Harry had touched her – if she had touched _him_ – there would be hell to pay.

"We should probably talk about this in your room, Draco. Dad will probably be home, and I'd rather not have this conversation in front of him."

Ron made a disgusted noise from behind Harry, his face scrunched up unpleasantly. "Do you even _hear_ yourself, Harry? You talk to _him_ like he's you're new best friend, and you're calling that greasy bat 'Dad'! It's _disgusting_."

Harry whirled around so fast that he caught to redhead off guard, nearly poking his eye out with his wand. "You shut up about both of them!"

"Can we save the duelling until we're at least somewhere where we can silence the screams?" Draco drawled as they drew closer to his private quarters. He was reluctant to let Weasley in, but he whispered the password and allowed both of the Gryffindors into his room.

"You can start explaining at any time, Potter," Draco snapped as he sat on the edge of his bed, his arms still folded tight over his chest. He was extremely angry, of course he was, but he was also really hurt to think that Harry could have touched someone else, wanted to be with someone else. Especially a _girl_.

"Why the hell do _you_ care who Harry is..._involved_ with?" Ron asked from his position of standing beside the door, almost like he was making sure he had a quick escape if he needed one.

Harry sighed as he took the desk chair, deciding that he shouldn't be too close to either of the two teens at the moment. This wasn't how he imagined Ron would find out, but there was no way around it now.

"I guess I should start there. Ron...Draco and I are...dating. I'm gay. So really, there's no need to think that any of those rumours are true. I love Hermione like a sister, she's my best friend, but she's a _girl_. I have no interest in her other than strictly platonic friendship."

The look on Ron's face would have been extremely comical had the situation not been so serious. He looked angry, disgusted, confused, and just a tad bit curious. Before he could so much as utter a word, Draco cut across him, still looking thunderous and not ready to let it go.

"I know you never went back to your room that night, Harry, that's why you're grounded. Pansy said she heard Jenicka Jenkins telling Kelsey McBride that you had her wake Hermione up in the middle of the night, half naked, and that at least fifteen people witnessed you and Hermione curled up together on the sofa asleep. What am I _supposed_ to think of that?"

Harry made a promise to himself that the first opportunity he got to do so, he would curse that stupid Jenicka girl six ways from Sunday.

"First of all, you're supposed to _trust_ me, Draco. Yes, I didn't go back to my room, I went to talk to Hermione because I was upset and you and Dad wouldn't give me a chance to explain anything! I had to talk to someone, and she's my best friend. I was wearing sleep pants and my dressing gown because that's what I had been wearing when I tried to talk to you. We were both exhausted after talking for hours, and we both fell asleep. It was purely innocent, I promise you. Why can't you just trust me?"

Draco felt a niggling of guilt in the back of his mind start to surface as he saw the honest hurt in Harry's eyes, again. When would he learn to stop being an arse and have faith in his boyfriend? "I do trust you, Harry, I just...I guess I panicked. I thought that maybe you were so upset with me that you...that you wanted to _be_ with someone else."

Harry ignored the disgusted snort from the direction of where Ron was standing, focussing completely on Draco for the time being. He could curse Ron later. "I would _never_ do that to you, Draco, and especially not with my best friend, who also happens to be a girl."

"What happened to liking Cho, and what about my _sister_, eh? You led her on, but you were just a closeted poof the whole time!" Ron shouted, his face turning a delicate shade of scarlet as he glared at Harry. Of course he had skipped over the part where nothing had happened between Harry and Hermione and started insulting Harry's sexual preferences.

"Would you just shut _up_ already? I thought I liked Cho, but I realised this summer that it was _Cedric_ that I had a crush on, and I never said I had any feelings for your sister! If she had those ideas in her head, it's because she put them there herself. She led _herself_ on."

"I don't even know who you are anymore, Harry," Ron whispered, finally showing some emotion another than selfish anger. He seemed to deflate after accusing Harry of leading Ginny on, then having it shoved right back in his face.

Harry sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling more emotionally exhausted than any sixteen-year-old should ever feel.

"I'm still me, Ron; I've just been through quite a lot since the beginning of summer. The Death Eaters killed the very last members of my family; even if they weren't the most loving people, they were still my only family. Severus saved my life, and I ended up saving his as well. There's no way you can go through that and not form a bond with someone. I can't ever fully explain my feelings towards Severus or Draco to you completely, but I love them both, and they're my family now, along with Remus. Can't you just be happy for me?"

There was a long silence as Ron looked anywhere but at Harry or Draco, obviously stalling for time to decide what to say. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and Harry couldn't help but think that he deserved all the discomfort.

"I guess I can try to be happy for you, but you can't expect me to get all buddy-buddy with Malfoy, or think of Snape as anything but the dungeon bat."

Harry scowled, but tried not to let himself get too upset. Ron was actually _trying_ here, and he appreciated that much at least. "Look, can you just pretend like you respect him while in my presence? I never insulted your dad, so please don't insult mine."

Ron sighed heavily, but nodded his agreement anyways. "Yeah, whatever; I'll try."

"Thank you. So are we all clear on everything now? I'm sort of grounded still, so I need to get back to my room before my dad has a fit."

Draco stood up and walked over to Harry, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. They both ignored the horrified sound from Ron's general direction as they lingered in the kiss on purpose, just to annoy the other Gryffindor in the room. "Make sure you study for that potions exam, Harry; you'd never hear the end of it if you failed your father's class."

"Well if you'd stop distracting me from studying I might actually get some of it done," Harry said, his smirk uncannily similar to his father's.

"Please let me out of this place before I sick up my dinner," Ron groaned, making the other two laugh at the horrified expression on his face.

"It's called a door handle, Weasley; use it."

Ron immediately grabbed for the handle and made to leave, but he paused and turned back to look around at Harry. "Nothing happened between you and Hermione at all?"

"Of course not, Ron. I love her to death, but not like that. Besides, I would never do that to you. I know how you feel about her," Harry assured his friend, catching the fearful glint in Ron's eyes no matter how hard the redhead tried to hide it.

"Thanks, Harry." He lingered for a few more seconds before leaving, carefully closing the portrait behind him. The Weasley's had had a very hard Christmas, and Harry could imagine how Ron must have felt upon hearing the possibility that the woman he loved had been with someone else. Despite how horrible Ron had been treating him recently, he couldn't help but sympathize with him.

"You should go home before Sev freaks out and launches a search party," Draco said reluctantly, just wanting to hold Harry close forever. Even though they hadn't been separated for long, Draco had missed this closeness with Harry. Just as he was leaning forward for another kiss, Draco suddenly felt extremely dizzy, and the horrible headache that had taken up residence in his head exploded into a million knives of pain. He gasped and clutched his head, falling against Harry as his vision turned black.

"Draco!" Harry gasped as he caught Draco before he could fall. He held the limp blonde against him, brushing his hair quickly out of his eyes and gently slapping his cheek to try to wake him up once more. He was trying so hard not to panic, but all the memories of watching Draco slowly wither away in a coma came crashing down on him.

Not knowing what else to do with so much running through his mind, Harry screamed at the top of his lungs for his father, who he hoped desperately was in their quarters only a few feet away from Draco's room.

S~S~S~S

It was already fifteen minutes past the end of dinner, and Harry still hadn't come home. Severus was almost positive the boy was with Draco or Hermione studying – he hoped. He had been considering un-grounding Harry after the mishap with the memory blew over, but if the brat was going to take advantage and flaunt the rules he had set, then Severus was just going to keep it up until Harry learned that his word was law now, whether the Gryffindor liked it or not.

A nice hot cup of tea was perched close to his lips as he spread out the _Evening Prophet_ in front of him, looking for any small signs or clues of where Nymphadora might be. He took a nice big gulp, then promptly spit it out and spilled scalding hot tea all over himself as he heard the most horrible ear-splitting scream in his life, and it was most definitely his son's voice.

Cursing and using his wand to dry himself off, Severus ran to the only place Harry could be; Draco's room. He had no idea what had caused that horrible scream, but Severus was trying his hardest not to panic. The worry in his chest nearly stole his breath, and he despised the feeling. He burst through the portrait hole, not bothering to provide the password, and paused as he saw Harry supporting a slumped over Draco, who looked more pale than usual.

"Harry, what happened?"

"I dunno, we were just talking and he started to sway and then he just passed out. We need to take him to the hospital wing," Harry croaked, hating the way Draco felt lifeless in his arms, but hating it even more when Severus took over and lifted Draco into his arms. The loss of contact made his heart jump in his throat, and he wanted more than anything to hold Draco in his arms again.

"Come on, we'll have Madam Pomfrey firecall Healer Smithson," Severus called over his shoulder as he carried Draco out into the corridor and back into his quarters. He walked quickly over to the hearth, motioning for Harry to throw some floo powder in.

"Hogwarts infirmary!"

The only fireplace in the infirmary was in Madam Pomfrey's office, and she received quite a fright when Severus stepped out of her floo, Harry following close behind.

"Dear Merlin! What's wrong with the boy this time, Severus?"

"No idea, Poppy. Can you please firecall Healer Smithson and tell her this is an emergency?"

The matron nodded quickly as she motioned for Severus to enter the main ward and lay Draco on one of the stark white beds, Harry coming up to the side of the bed to grasp Draco's limp hand. As they waited for the Healer to come through, Draco began to twitch and squirm, and Severus knew what was coming next.

"Let go of his hand, Harry."

Harry did as he was told, though thoroughly confused as to why. He didn't have to wait long to find out as Draco thrashed around wildly, bile sliding down his chin as he convulsed violently. Harry couldn't help the sob that escaped as he watched Draco have a seizure.

Severus quickly turned the boy on his side, making sure the Slytherin didn't choke on his own vomit. He cringed at the way the blonde's body tensed and shook under his hands. He would stay calm for Harry's sake, but on the inside he was panicking.

"Severus, Poppy said there was an emergency?" The red-headed Healer walked quickly over to the bed just as Draco stopped seizing. She drew her wand and ran a barrage of spells over him, producing many different coloured sparks and glows to hover around the Slytherin's prone body.

"Has he complained of any abnormal headaches lately?" the Healer asked as she consulted one of the few red glows hovering in the general vicinity of Draco's head.

Harry and Severus both shared a look as they thought about the Healer's question.

"_I'm sorry Professor, but I have a horrible headache..."_

"_I don't think so, Professor. I have a really bad headache..."_

"He's complained of a headache a few times over the last few days. Why, what's wrong?"

The Healer frowned as he moved her wand in an arch over Draco's forehead, watching as a thin blue line traced through his hair and settled near his left ear.

"I think Draco's has a brain aneurysm, and it is in danger of rupturing. Luckily brain aneurysms occur in wizards as well as Muggles, so there is a potion treatment. What I'm worried about is why it was never detected before now. I'm almost positive it formed during his coma. He'll need to spend the night in the infirmary while he takes the potion," Healer Smithson said as she carefully wrote down all of the information her different spells had revealed on a chart she had conjured.

"He'll be alright though, right?" Harry asked, wanting to touch Draco in some way, but afraid of setting off another seizure. He sighed when Severus grasped his shoulder, taking comfort from his father's touch.

"I think we've caught it early enough not to cause other complications, as long as the potion does it's work tonight. He'll need to be closely monitored for a while after. I'll come back to check up on him about once a week from now on. Poppy, can you stay close by in case he seizes again? I need to go back to St. Mungo's to get that potion." The healer waved her wand, making all the glowing lights disappear from around Draco, casting a shadow on his pale form.

"Of course, Abby. Hurry back."

"Come, Harry, you should get some rest," Severus said quietly as he tried to steer Harry from the hospital wing. He wasn't surprised when his son ripped his shoulder out of his grip and glared at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if you ground me for life; I'm staying with Draco tonight," Harry snapped, turning back towards Draco and reaching for the blonde's hand.

Severus sighed and debated whether or not he wanted to start a fight by insisting Harry come home with him. Knowing that avoiding confrontation would be the best option, Severus gave in. "Alright, you can stay with him tonight, as long as Healer Smithson and Madam Pomfrey approve. I'll be back to check in on you both in the morning, alright?"

Harry sighed as he felt the guilt gnawing at him already. He hadn't meant to snap at his father, but there was no way he was leaving Draco's side right now. He turned to the Potions Master and hugged him, sighing in comfort as his father hugged him back. "Thank you, Dad."

"You're welcome, Harry. Goodnight."

"'Night."

Harry dragged a chair over beside the bed, gently grasping the Slytherin's hand. He watched as Healer Smithson administered the potion, gently massaging the blonde's throat to help him swallow while still unconscious. He helped Madam Pomfrey change him into the classic blue flannel pyjamas and carefully tucked the blankets back around him. Accepting an extra blanket from the Matron, Harry tossed it over himself, still clutching Draco's hand in his own.

It was long after Madam Pomfrey had doused all of the candles and locked up her office for the night that Harry sat watching the steady rise and fall of Draco's chest, just to make sure he was still breathing.

"Don't leave me again..._Please._"

* * *

**A/N:** Oh, I know all my little cliffies are evil, but you know you all really love them, you just pretend to be annoyed. Please review and tell me what you think so far! The end is still VERY far away, so I hope you're all in this for the long-run!


	31. Crowded Isolation

**N/A:** Sorry for the horrifically long wait! College and life has been pretty crazy lately, and I just haven't had very much time to write, but I'm getting back to it now! I have a few other projects in the works as well that I've been adding to periodically, so look out for some new stuff soon, possibly! I hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

**Ch 31.  
Crowded Isolation**

Harry's back was aching, and it took him a good few minutes to wake up and realize why. He had fallen asleep in the chair beside Draco's hospital bed, his head lying on the mattress and his hand clutching the blonde's. The early morning sunlight was streaming in through the high windows of the infirmary, glaring off of Harry's glasses and making him blink rapidly to keep his eyes from watering. A soft moan drew his attention to the Slytherin lying beside him.

"Draco, are you awake?"

Soft grey eyes blinked open, then quickly slammed closed against the sharp assault of the morning sun. He slowly pried his eyes open again, turning to look at Harry, who was smiling warmly at him.

"Potter?"

Harry felt his heart sink at the tone of Draco's voice. He sounded really confused, and the way he said Potter didn't exactly sound kind, not to mention Draco hadn't called him 'Potter' in some months.

"I think maybe I should get Madam Pomfrey before trying to explain anything. Just hold on, I'll be right back," Harry assured the blonde as he quickly got out of his seat and ran towards the Matron's office. He had no idea if she was in there as it was so early, but if not, he could floo to the dungeons and get his father instead. He was saved the trouble when his father walked out of the office, having obviously flooed there from their quarters.

"Harry? I didn't think you'd be awake just yet."

"Dad, Draco is awake, but I think something is wrong," Harry said with a worried expression, quickly mirrored by his father as the Potions Master walked quickly over to his godson's bed.

"Draco?"

The Slytherin turned to look at Snape and sighed in relief, pushing himself into a more dignified sitting position as he rearranged the sheets around him. "Severus, what's going on? Why am I in the hospital wing?"

The Potions Master went slightly more pale than normal as he shared a look with Harry. He pulled the chair around and sat down beside his godson, taking hold of Harry's wrist as a warning not to panic.

"Draco, what's the last thing you can remember?"

Well, that was actually a pretty hard question to answer, Draco mused. He seemed to have lots of conflicting memories floating about in his head, and some that seemed pretty ludicrous. Since when did his mind supply memories of him _kissing_ Potter? That was the last thing he could remember.

"Er...I...we..." Draco looked over at Harry with a questioning expression, and was surprised to be met with a horribly sad expression.

"You don't remember anything from the past few months, do you?" Harry croaked, feeling his heart drop down to his toes. It was like losing Draco all over again, and he wasn't sure if he could handle that again.

Draco screwed his face up in concentration and closed his eyes, trying to make sense of all the jumbled memories that were thoroughly confusing him. He could remember being in the hospital wing, Potter beside him, teaching him how to summon things with his wand. Then there was Weasley, Weasley's sister and Granger, crying all over each other and pulling Potter into a group hug. Severus leading him to a very spacious room just down the corridor from the Potions Master's quarters. Harry sitting beside him on a bed...

"_Yes, I do love you, and I'm sorry for avoiding you for the last couple of days."_

Harry's voice whispering to him...

"_I'm sorry, Draco…I should never have done what I did. I should have listened to you. I feel like such an idiot. But…I have a question for you. Why on earth did you pull me out of the way, sacrifice yourself, for me? I just don't understand…You've always hated me, and even though we'd gotten on a bit better this summer, I never thought you would ever risk your own life for me. What were you thinking? I just want to understand, and I wish you could hear me, know how sorry I am that it's you in that bed and not me…"_

Draco's eyes snapped open as he gasped, his eyes locking with pleading green ones. Those memories were real, and he was starting to remember more and more. Everything that had happened in the last few months came flooding to the surface, warring with his older memories of before that summer. He felt so conflicted, and he wished his memories would just shut up and let him _think_ for a second.

"Occlude your mind, Draco; you know how," Severus whispered to the Slytherin, who looked to be on the verge of a panic attack.

Draco nodded as he closed his eyes again, concentrating on clearing his mind. After a few minutes, the thoughts flying around in his head began to slow down and file themselves away, making it much easier to think.

"Draco? Are you ok?" Harry whispered, wanting more than anything to reach out and take Draco's hand in his own.

"I remember," Draco said as he opened his eyes and looked at Harry again, torn between wanting to kiss him and wanting to punch him. "I remember everything."

"Everything? Even from before the accident?" Severus asked, preparing to call for Healer Smithson. If Draco had indeed regained his memory, she would no longer be needed other than to do annual check-ups.

Draco nodded as he let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, even from before the accident and during the time I was in the coma. I could hear everything. It's all a bit confusing," Draco said, giving Harry a calculating look.

He could remember it all, going from a tentative friendship with the Gryffindor, to developing a sort of tenderness for him as he listened to Harry vent his frustrations and feelings to him while he slept on in a coma. After that, his memories took on a strange form; it was almost as if they were someone else's memories that he simply watched from afar. He wished he could remember everything properly as he'd lived it.

"I think, perhaps, that it is time to call Healer Smithson in," Severus suggested as he turned back towards Madam Pomfrey's office to use the floo.

"Are you really ok, Draco?" Harry asked quietly, his voice shaking. He was afraid to upset the blonde, but he was eager to know where they stood now. He had just gotten Draco back, he couldn't lose him again.

"I'm...fine, I guess. I'm just really confused. I do remember everything, but the memories are sort of clashing. It's hard to remember hating you in the past, and loving you now. I need to time to...adjust, I guess. I'm sorry, Harry, I know that's the last thing you want to here after all the things we've been going through, but I really need to sort things out for myself. I'm not breaking up with you; I just need some space for right now, alright?" Draco asked, feeling his chest constrict as the Gryffindor tried to blink his tears away, but was unsuccessful.

"I understand. I'll just...leave you alone for awhile. You know where to find me when you're ready," Harry said quietly, wanting so bad to kiss the Slytherin, but stopping himself reluctantly. He needed to leave. He couldn't stand there beside Draco for one more minute without snapping. It seemed that life was determined to take everything away from him. As soon as Severus came out of the office with Healer Smithson behind him, Harry turned to leave.

"Harry, where are you going?" Severus asked as the Healer started casting different diagnostic spells over the young blonde, writing on a chart as the different glows changed and morphed.

"I have to go, Dad. I can't..." Harry wasn't sure what he couldn't do, and he didn't want to hurt Draco by saying he couldn't stand to be near the blonde for another second, so he just left it hanging there. He was beyond relieved when his father gave him a knowing look and nodded, giving him permission to flee.

S~S~S~S

No matter how many times he read the assigned chapter for potions, Harry could not take anything in. There was simply too much going on in his mind to concentrate on the theory of acidic potions versus base potions and their relationship to the lunar phases. All it did was make Harry think of Remus, who he realized he missed quite terribly. He knew his father was a very busy man, and their recent falling out had taken time away from them, but he wished he had someone to talk to about everything. He wanted so much to talk to Remus that he could swear he could hear the man's voice.

"...Harry, are you there?"

Harry snapped out of it as he realized the voice wasn't in his head, but coming from the man himself, who was standing in front of the sofa carrying a battered cloak and trunk.

"Remus!" Harry shouted as he threw his potions book and jumped off the sofa. He almost knocked Remus over with the force of his hug, grasping the man's robes as if his life depended on it.

"Hey there, pup," Remus said affectionately as he wrapped his arms around the Gryffindor, who was shaking. As he pulled away from the teen he noticed that the boy was actually crying. "Now, there's no need for tears, Harry."

"I'm sorry, it's just been a really bad day. It's been a really bad few weeks, actually. I missed you, and I really wanted to talk to you, and I'm so glad you're back. You're ok, right?" Harry asked, stepping back to take a better look at his stepfather. The man looked like he had a lost a bit of weight and could use a shave, but he looked unharmed otherwise.

"I'm fine, Harry, just in need of a long shower and a good night's rest. What's been going on since I left? I haven't heard anything that's been happening outside of the Clan."

Harry sighed heavily, feeling so relieved that he felt weak from it. He sat down on the sofa, motioning for Remus to join him.

"A lot has happened. I don't even know if I can fully explain it all, really," Harry said before launching into a very long, very confusing story, forcing Remus to wait until he was done to ask any questions. The man was terribly confused.

"So, Draco is in the hospital wing again, but now he has all of his memories back?" Remus asked, trying to make sense of all the things Harry had gone on and on about. The Gryffindor hadn't been lying when he said a lot had happened since Remus had left.

"Yes he has all of his memories back, but he's really confused about everything and he asked me to give him some space, so I left. Healer Smithson was running diagnostics on him when I left. Dad should still be there. Do you want to go see him?" Harry asked, hoping Remus would want to go alone so he wouldn't have to see Draco again.

"Yes, of course, but I think I'll shower first before we go. It's good to be back, Harry. I'm sorry things have been difficult the last couple of weeks, but I'm here for you now whenever you need me. I will try my hardest not to be gone like that again, alright?" Remus said as he pulled the teen into another hug, happy for the first time since he left weeks ago.

"Thanks, Remus."

After a quick shower and a careful shave, Remus and Harry made their way up to the infirmary. Remus' stomach was twisting in knots, afraid that his bond-mate would still be quite angry with him and push him away. He had missed the Potions Master so much; he hoped Severus would see past his original anger and welcome him back.

When they entered the hospital wing, the Matron, Healer, patient and Potions Professor all looked up and paused in whatever they were doing. There was a tense silence as Severus stood from his seat beside Draco's bed before walking towards his lover.

"Severus," Remus said with a soft smile, not entirely sure if the man was preparing to hug him, or punch him; he kind of felt like he deserved both.

"You're such a fool, Remus," Severus said quietly as he pulled his bond-mate into a tight hug, breathing in his scent as he revelled in the solid feel of holding his lover once more. He was still angry, but his relief at having Remus back with him over-powered everything else. He was pulled into a deep kiss that was bordering on indecent in front of their child, and it broke only when Harry began to laugh behind his hand, blushing enough for all three of them.

"I missed you," Remus whispered, brushing Severus' hair out of his eyes. He was still expecting that punch, to be quite honest.

"I missed you too, you imbecile," Severus said, though his tone was affectionate, and the extra moisture in his eyes told Remus all he needed to know. He was forgiven, at least for the most part. "Don't you ever do that to me again, because you won't be forgiven so easily next time," Severus said, his expression quite serious.

Remus nodded solemnly, grasping Severus' hand in his own. "I know. I promise." Remus looked over and saw Draco, who looked extremely uncomfortable. He could see it in the teen's eyes; this Draco was someone different, someone who didn't quite fit in anymore. This was a combination of the old Draco and the new Draco, and he wasn't sure how to act or think.

"I can't find anything else wrong with Mr. Malfoy. I'm not even sure how he managed to get his full memory back. Amnesia is a very unpredictable condition; there's just no way to tell if or when the memories will come back. Draco is lucky to have received them all back, and so quickly, too. I'd like to do monthly check-ups to make sure the blood vessels aren't swelling again. I'm giving him the go ahead to be released from the infirmary," Healer Smithson said as she wrote a few things on Draco's chart before tapping it with her wand, making it disappear.

"You're sure he's well enough to leave?" Severus asked as he turned back towards his godson, who was avoiding eye contact with everyone, almost as if he was afraid of what he would see.

"I don't see why not. All his vitals check out, and he seems to be feeling well. You are feeling well, right Draco?"

Draco nodded, still not looking up at his godfather or the Healer. He just wanted to get away from everyone and _think_. "Yes, I'm feeling fine. I'd like to spend a little bit of time alone, however. I just need to sort my thoughts."

The Healer nodded and smiled gently at Severus before heading back towards the Matron's office to floo back to St. Mungo's. Madam Pomfrey walked over with Draco's robes and wand, shooing everyone away so the Slytherin could dress in peace. When the curtains were opened once more, Draco found that Harry, Severus, and Remus had all waited for him.

"I can get to my room on my own; I do remember where it is, after all," he snapped, getting more irritated by the second. He had just specified that he wanted to be alone, yet they still stood around like he was an invalid who needed an escort wherever he went.

"I think someone should escort you just in case. You've had a pretty large medical scare and – "

"I said I wanted to be alone! Healer Smithson said I was fine, there's no reason for me to be escorted. Don't you have classes to be teaching or something?" Draco groused, aware that he was well on his way to having quite a few points taken as well as being yelled at by his godfather about respect, but he obviously wasn't in a very good mood, and they simply weren't helping at all.

Severus sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few seconds to calm himself before looking back up at his godson, who was glaring defiantly back at him. This was going to be a difficult situation to deal with, he was absolutely sure of it.

"Fine, you may go on your own, but I will be checking in on you in about an hour, and I don't want to hear any back talk, understand me? I understand this is all a bit much for you to handle right now, but the last thing you should be doing is pushing the people who care about you away. We'll give you your space, but you need to realize that we are only trying to help, so stop with the attitude. And no, I don't have any classes to teach because it's Saturday, smart-aleck."

Draco looked chagrined as he nodded, waiting for Severus' nod before leaving the hospital wing, not sparing a glance for Harry or Remus. The door closed a bit harder than necessary behind him, making Harry jump. He felt a hand descend on his shoulder as he stared at the closed door, willing Draco to come back and tell him he wanted Harry to go with him, to be with him and help him through this.

"He'll be alright, son, just give him some time. Perhaps you should go update Ms. Granger on what's been going on before she wears a hole in the carpet in Gryffindor tower?" Severus said, knowing that the intelligent girl was worried, but staying away to give the 'family' some privacy.

Knowing that this was probably a sign that his father wanted to be alone with Remus, Harry nodded, thinking that talking to Hermione about everything might be a good idea anyways. "See you at lunch?"

"Yes, we'll be at lunch. Just leave Draco to his thoughts for a while, though. He needs time to sort all of it out. I know it's not easy for you either, Harry, but some things are just better done alone. Understand?"

Harry nodded his understanding, glad when Severus pulled him into a quick, tight hug. He hugged his father back before pulling away and hugging Remus too, who smiled warmly at him.

"See you later."

"Goodbye, Harry."

S~S~S~S

"Harry, oh thank _goodness!_ What happened, is Draco alright?" Hermione didn't waste any time in attacking Harry with questions when he entered the Gryffindor common room. A few people turned to stare in curiosity, making Harry immediately uncomfortable.

"Can we go somewhere else to talk, please? I don't want to explain everything around so many people," Harry said quietly, glaring at a few third years who were obviously eaves-dropping on them.

"Is everything alright?" Ron had been sitting in one of the armchairs trying to finish an essay for Transfiguration when he saw Hermione rush over to Harry. He looked concerned, which momentarily distracted Harry with shock.

Harry nodded his head towards the portrait hole, his message obviously being that he wasn't about to give up any information until they were somewhere more private than the middle of the Gryffindor common room. They didn't have far to walk, as Harry wondered in a circle in front of a certain patch of wall, grasping the door handle as soon as it appeared.

There were three comfy-looking armchairs spread out in a circle, just like he had asked of the Room of Requirement, and Harry gladly sank into one of them, happy when his friends followed his example and sat quietly waiting for him to start the conversation unprovoked.

"Draco had an aneurysm, but his Healer gave him a potion to cure it. When he woke up this morning...he could remember everything."

There was a long, tense silence as Ron sat and wondered why he was feeling so sympathetic, and Hermione tried not to look so horrified for Harry's sake. Harry was about to continue on when Hermione cut him off.

"Did he hurt you, Harry? I mean...I can't even imagine what Draco would be feeling after regaining all of his memory and trying to associate it with the life he's been living these past few months. He must be so confused, and he probably said some things he didn't mean in his confusion."

Harry smiled warmly at the brunette, extremely glad he was friends with such an intelligent young woman. "He is confused, horribly so, and he sort of...pushed me away. I was so worried about him, and I wanted to make sure he was ok, but...he's not ready for that yet. It feels like I'm stuck in limbo, not with him, but not without him either. I just don't know what to feel right now. What if he decides he doesn't like this new life, and he wants to be who he used to be?"

Ron moved forward in his seat, clearly intending to speak, so Harry let him, even though he wasn't sure he'd like what the redhead had to say. "I don't think that's possible, mate. He may remember everything, and have all the memories of how he used to act and feel, but that's not who he is anymore. It's not like his personality is an outfit he can decide to just change whenever he pleases. Who he is now, is who he is; his regained memories can't really change that."

Harry was staring at the redhead as if he had grown three more red heads to join the first. He'd been prepared for Ron to insult Draco and say that it was good riddance if he didn't want Harry anymore, but he was certainly not prepared for the level-headed reassurance he'd received.

"I think he just needs time to distinguish between who he used to be, and who he is now. It's kind of like meeting someone you used to know a long time ago for the first time. He has to get to know himself, in a sense. I'd just give him some time and space, Harry, and not let it upset you so much that he needs this time."

Harry sighed gustily as he smiled at both of his friends, feeling guilty for ever doubting them before, even if he had good reason to doubt Ron in particular. "You guys are both right. I guess I'm just worried about losing him again. I thought I was going to die the first time, I couldn't handle a second time."

Another long pause, wherein Hermione offered him a sympathetic smile and Ron tried to hide his awkwardness at hearing how attached Harry was to Malfoy. The silence was not uncomfortable though, and Harry was extremely glad for that.

"On a happier note, Remus is back. But that also comes with bad news, as he didn't find anything out about where Tonks might be. I hate that we're just sitting here, unable to help go out and look for her. You know I'm not the type of person to be content with the knowledge that others are looking for her. I need to actively do something too. I guess Draco and my father have been pretty good distractions lately."

"As well as you having to deal with me and my attitude. I really am sorry, Harry. I've been such an arse lately, and it sounds like you really could have used another friend through all of this. I'm glad to hear that Remus is back. He's alright, right?"

Harry smiled at the redhead, realizing how much he had missed his friend for the majority of the year. "Thanks, Ron. I'm just glad that I've got you back now. Remus is fine, just exhausted and annoyed that he was sent on a seemingly pointless mission. He really wanted to help with the search for Tonks too, but Dumbledore sent him on some wild goose chase instead. I don't think Dad will ever trust the Headmaster again," Harry said with a frown, remembering the way the Potions Master had accused Dumbledore of having ulterior motives in sending Remus on that particular mission. He was starting to think his father was right.

"I honestly think Professor Snape may be more in-tuned to the Headmaster's manipulations than all the rest of us. Maybe Professor Dumbledore isn't cut out to be our leader anymore," Hermione suggested, looking to her two friends as if she was asking for them to agree with her, just so she didn't stand alone in her thoughts.

Harry nodded his agreement, glad when Ron did the same. There was one of those long pauses again, but this time they were all caught up in their own thoughts. They looked up at each other all at once, as if they had all come to the same conclusion simultaneously. Harry was the only one with the courage to say what they were all thinking.

"If Dumbledore can't lead us through this – who can?"

S~S~S~S

Breakfast was abnormally quiet the next morning. Harry had done as his father had said and left Draco alone for the rest of the night, even though he wanted nothing more than to hold him and make sure everything was ok between them. When he sat down at the Gryffindor table between Ron and Hermione, he made himself wait a full minute before looking across the Great Hall towards the Slytherin table.

Draco was sitting mostly by himself, though Pansy Parkinson was attempting to lean across the table to talk to him. Crabbe and Goyle were sitting on either side of Blaise Zabini, who looked much too smug for a simple Hogwarts breakfast on a Sunday morning. Harry didn't really care about all that. What he cared about was the dull look in Draco's eyes as he stared down at his plate, swirling his eggs around without interest.

"Harry...are you there, mate?"

Harry blinked and shook his head, giving Ron an apologetic look as he poked at his own breakfast disinterestedly. "Yeah, sorry; I'm just worried about him."

Hermione gave him a sympathetic look as she buttered her toast, glancing up as the owls swept through the high windows to deliver the morning post. She had noticed that the teachers looked uneasy and were whispering to each other, which boded ill for the news in the _Daily Prophet_ an owl had just delivered to Hermione.

"Just give him time, Harry. Let him come to you when he's ready. I know that's probably easier said than done, but I really think that it would be better than trying to push him when he's not ready."

Harry sighed and nodded his agreement with Hermione, wishing that he could be as level-headed about the situation as she was. He was just about to take a bite of his eggs when Hermione let out a loud gasp and spread the paper out in front of her. Her exclamation was mimicked across the hall.

_**Mayhem In London:  
Escaped Death Eaters Suspected!**_

_A popular Muggle clubbing district in the heart of London was attacked last night, resulting in the death of six Muggles, two of them under the age of fifteen, and the injury of dozens more. Muggle authorities were baffled as to what happened, but Magical Law Enforcement was called in when a Wizard amongst the Muggles claimed to have seen Death Eaters cursing the young clubbers. _

"_I'm sure it was the escaped Death Eaters. They had the white masks and black cloaks, and there was no mistaking the one's maniacal laughter; You-Know-Who was behind this for sure. Just goes to show that no one is safe now," said the Wizard who called in the MLE, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation._

_The MLE have estimated that the six Muggles who were killed had been hit by the Killing Curse as well as another lethal curse that they've yet to identify, but are certain is Dark Magic. The rest of the injuries were caused by various Dark spells, including cutting hexes that were so strong, they removed limbs. The MLE are encouraging people to be alert while in public, and to report any suspicious activity or Death Eater sightings. _

_Minister Cornelius Fudge has refused to comment on this story._

"Why would they want to hurt a bunch of Muggle kids trying to have fun on a Saturday night? I mean, that's not really accomplishing anything, is it?" Ron said with a bewildered look, shoving down the rest of his omelette as Hermione refolded the paper and set it aside.

"Because they want to hurt _all_ Muggles, Ron, that's why! They don't care who they are or how they do it. Muggles are lower beings to them, not even human! Two of the people who died were younger than we are, younger than Ginny. They don't need to have a reason to maim and kill, and that's what makes them even more dangerous. There's not enough being done to apprehend the escaped Death Eaters and it's getting to their heads, making them think they can get away with anything. Fudge is a despicable man!" Hermione snapped as she angrily cut up her pancakes and stabbed them viciously, chewing them as if they had personally offended her.

Before Harry could get a word in, the Headmaster stood up at the Head table, gaining everyone's attention. The Great Hall fell silent as he patiently waited to speak.

"The other Professors and I have been discussing the tragedy that occurred in London last night, and what it may mean for us. After a bit of careful thinking, I regret to inform everyone that all Hogsmeade weekends have henceforth been cancelled, and the Quidditch season will be on hiatus until it is considered safe to be out on the grounds once more. The threat of the escaped Death Eaters is higher than ever, and with the lack of action to obtain and imprison these individuals once more by the Ministry, the staff and I have decided to take measures into our own hands to ensure the safety of every Hogwarts student.

"If anyone has any questions, your individual Heads of House will be more than willing to answer these questions. Though we have received sad and frightening news this morning, I hope that you may be able to find peace and have a good day of rest before classes start up again tomorrow."

The Great Hall stayed silent for a few seconds after Dumbledore resumed his seat, and then quite a loud burst of chatter broke out.

"But there are wards around the Hogwarts grounds! The Death Eaters can't get close enough to attack us during a match!" Ron complained loudly, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team nodding vigorously up and down the table.

"The next Hogsmeade weekend was on my birthday! This really sucks," Lavender said with a dramatic pout, flipping her hair aside as Parvati patted her sympathetically on the shoulder.

"Oh would you all get a hold of yourselves and _shut up!_ They're only trying to protect us by taking away these privileges, and complaining like a bunch of spoiled little children is a pretty poor way to repay them. It's time we all realized that we're at war and get our priorities straight," Hermione's voice rang out across the hall, gaining attention from the other House tables as well.

Hermione grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she got up from the bench, glaring at everyone that stared at her. She flounced out of the hall, an uncomfortable silence following in her wake.

"She's right, you know. They're only trying to protect us. If Tonks, an Auror who had much more training than any of us, can get kidnapped by the Death Eaters, than the Professors have the right to be concerned about our safety," said Harry, though much less dramatically than Hermione had shouted her reprimand. After all, his parents were two of the people who had decided on taking these privileges away.

"You're just saying that because your dads told you to. You can't say you didn't know about all this before the rest of us did," Jenicka Jenkins said, a few of her friends nodding in agreement.

"I didn't know anything about this, actually. And I'm not saying it because anyone told me to, I'm saying it because I know what's like to be hunted and hurt by these people, and I don't want to see any of the rest of you go through that." Harry let his words set in as Jenicka and her friends stared at him open-mouthed. "See you in class, Ron."

Harry had only made it halfway into the Entrance Hall when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. He expected it to be his father or Remus, and so was pleasantly surprised to see Draco peering at him over his shoulder.

"Harry, can I talk to you? Er, in private?" Draco asked quietly, ignoring the whispers that were coming from a group of third year girls who were pointing at him and Harry and giggling. It had taken him quite a while to decide what he wanted to say to Harry, and the Gryffindor's passionate exit from breakfast had been the last straw for Draco. He missed Harry.

"Of course. Do you want to go to your room?" Harry asked with a gentle smile, already letting his feet lead them to the dungeons, just as a natural reflex. He paused when Draco gripped his shoulder again and shook his head.

"Actually, I wanted to go up to the Astronomy tower. I know we're not allowed out of the castle now, but that's technically still part of the castle, and I could use some fresh air."

Harry nodded his agreement and turned back to the spiral staircase, his steps faltering only for a split second as Draco grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. He smiled at the blonde as they made their way up to the highest tower of Hogwarts, ignoring anyone who paid them any attention on the long journey up. Sure, they hadn't been quite as open about their relationship in public as they could have been, but it wasn't like nobody knew about it. It had been in the _Daily Prophet_, after all, and most of the population in Hogwarts tended to believe everything printed in the Wizarding paper.

The dizzying trip up the ever-turning staircase was worth it as they stepped out onto the ramparts of the castle, a cool breeze blowing their hair around as they looked out over the expansive grounds. Out in the distance, gray storm clouds were rolling steadily in, promising a large thunder storm when they reached the castle. Harry had eyes only for Draco, however, who had released his hand and walked over to the ledge, leaning over it slightly as he took a deep breath of the cool air. When he turned back around to face Harry he wasn't smiling, but he looked more at peace than Harry had seen him in months.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I'm still kind of confused about some things, but now that I've had some time to think and sort my thoughts, I feel much better. Before, it felt like I was sharing my body with a whole different person. I could remember everything, yes, but it didn't feel as though I'd lived through those experiences. I was just a bystander, looking on as somebody else with my face and my body lived it all.

"After I left the infirmary I went to my quarters to think. That's all I really wanted, just time to think. I realized a few things last night. I may feel like the same person I was before the accident, but I'm not. All the things that have happened since then are still with me, and I want to be that person still. I realized I could be both who I used to be, and who I became after the accident, I would just have to change a few things about myself in order for it to work.

"I love you, and I want to be with you. Regardless to say that the person I used to be was a little confused by that desire, but I've sorted it out now. I just hope that you'll still want me, as the hybrid of whom I used to be, and who I became after the accident. I'm not perfect, and I may act like I used to – a jackass, in other words – but I want to be a better person, because you make me want to be one. Just being with you makes me feel like a better person, and I love that feeling. So, I guess I'm asking this; will you forgive me, and try to accept me as I am now?"

Harry moved forwards, pulling Draco close to him in a tight embrace. After what felt like an hour, he pulled away, cupping the blonde's cheeks as he swept the hair out of his eyes. "Draco, it was never a question in my mind whether or not I would accept who you are now. I love you, and I'd do anything to help you through this, including putting up with you when you're being an arse, and explaining things when it gets to be too confusing. Even if things get hard, I'll never leave you, alright?"

Draco let out a shaky breath, smiling at Harry as he tried to blink his tears back. He was mostly successful, which Harry was glad of. There had been enough tears shed that year already, there was no need for more. "Thank you, Harry."

The kiss they shared was different from their previous kisses in many ways. It was deeper, longer, and more passionate, but it was also more than that. It was a promise, an unspoken vow to each other that neither of them planned to break – _ever_.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it, please review! I'll try to get the next one out a bit sooner! The semester is almost over, so I'll have more time soon. Yay!!


	32. Thirty Six, and One for Good Luck

**N/A: **The semester is almost over, yay! I've had a ton of inspiration lately, or so it seems, and I have quite a few chapters stacked up for y'all! No, I will not post them all one right after the other. You guys all have to wait! Don't worry, I won't make you wait _too_ horribly long between chapters. I hope you enjoy this one! It was pretty fun to write. I actually had part of written probably a good six or so months ago! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 32.  
Thirty-Six, and One For Good Luck**

Classes continued the next week. They were long and tedious, or so most of the students thought. Everyone was glad to have Remus back in Defence Against the Dark Arts, not because Severus was a bad teacher, but because having him in two different classes was wearing both his patience, and the students' nerves very thin.

Of course, some of the frustration stemmed from the new rules about being outside of the castle. No one was permitted outside except to attend Herbology classes, which each class was escorted by Professor Sprout personally. As is usually the case with most rules, the more strictly it's enforced, the more often it is broken. There had already been almost two hundred points taken from all four houses, cumulatively, and over twenty different students were serving detentions for trying to leave the castle, or being caught outside already.

More news of smaller attacks in the London area were reported in the _Daily Prophet_ that week. Some were most definitely Death Eater attacks, while others seemed to be copy-cat crimes; Muggle youth revolting in the name of boredom and unemployment. There were still no leads on where Tonks might be, or if she was even alive, but everyone was operating under the assumption that she would be found maybe not healthy, but at least alive.

Away from the outside world, however, Remus had a smaller concern. "Harry, stay after class please," the Defence Professor called out at the end of class while all the students packed their books and wands away. He knew the students missed the practical lessons Severus would give, but theory was important too.

The bell rang, signalling the start of lunch. Harry waved off his friends and his boyfriend, who were waiting by the door. "Go on guys; I'll catch up with you in a bit," Harry insisted, smiling when Draco frowned and Ron and Hermione just shrugged. When the door closed behind them, Harry turned to face his step-father, who was smiling warmly at him.

"Do you realise what tomorrow is, Harry?"

"Um, Wednesday?" Harry answered, completely thrown by Remus' question. He couldn't remember what was significant about the next day.

Remus chuckled and shook his head. "Well yes, tomorrow is Wednesday, but it's also Severus' birthday. I was thinking about having our own little party for him; just the family. How do you think he would react to that?"

"Well, if it's just the family, I don't think he'll mind. I haven't gotten him anything yet, though. I was planning on looking in Hogsmeade last weekend, but that's out now," Harry said with a frown. He had no idea what he would have bought his father even if he had the opportunity, but he had wanted to get him _something_ at least.

"You know your father isn't very materialistic. I think just acknowledging that it's actually a special day will be much more than anyone else has ever given him. He's lived alone for the majority of his life, and from what I've heard he probably never got to celebrate his birthday as a child, either. This will show him that we care. He may not act like it's that big of a deal to him, but I'm sure it will make an impact on him, whether we see it or not," Remus explained, gently squeezing Harry's shoulder. He knew making Severus proud was important to Harry, and he wanted to help his step-son out.

Harry still felt slightly uncomfortable knowing he had nothing to gift to his father, but a little family party was better than nothing. "Well, alright, but I'm going to ask Dobby to make a cake. Can I invite Draco?"

Remus smiled warmly at the Gryffindor and pulled him into a quick hug. "Of course you can. I don't want to hold you back from lunch too long. Have a good day, Harry."

"Thanks, Remus. You too."

S~S~S~S

The trio had risen once more, what with Ron finally realizing that he was being a complete tosser. It was like old times once more, except for the few times when Draco would join them, and Ron would suddenly have something very urgent to do in some place very far away from wherever Harry and Draco went. It irked Harry, but he knew his friend was just trying to avoid confrontation, and he appreciated that much at least.

Ron and Hermione had also begun to spend more time together, and Harry distinctly recalled seeing both of them making eyes at each other in class over the last week. They were the perfect example of opposites attract, Harry mused. He glanced up at the Head table and smiled at his father and his...uh, step-father?

"Do you think it would be weird if I started calling Remus 'Dad'? I mean, that's what I call Severus, so I wouldn't want to confuse them. It feels weird calling my dad Severus, but it doesn't feel weird calling Remus – well, Remus," Harry explained as he cut up his piece of chicken and dunked it into his mashed potatoes and gravy.

"Call him whatever you feel comfortable calling him. I don't think that it offends Professor Lupin that you don't call him 'Dad'. You might want to discuss it with him, Harry. Maybe he prefers for you to just call him Remus," Hermione said, matter of fact as she flipped through her Transfiguration book for the sixth time that lunch period.

Ron rolled his eyes as he piled another piece of chicken on his plate and smothered it in gravy. "You're going to do fine on the test, Hermione. Would you stop freaking out about it?"

The Transfiguration book snapped closed as Hermione glared at the redhead. She shoved it back into her book bag under the table and took up her fork and knife once more. "I'm not freaking out about it, Ron; I'm just making sure I have the facts right. This is a really complicated chapter, you know."

"Yeah, so what? You always know everything, even when the rest of the class is completely lost," Ron said nonchalantly, though the effect was ruined by the mouth full of food he wasn't done chewing.

There was a noticeable blush on Hermione's cheeks, but she went on as if nothing had happened. "You're disgusting, Ron. Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Oi, I a'ready go' a mum, don' need 'ou too."

"Urgh."

Harry chuckled as he shook his head, feeling his spirits lift a little bit more as he listened to his friends bicker. It was just like their previous years at Hogwarts, and he had missed it terribly, no matter how annoying he used to think it was. It was sweet music to his ears now.

"Anyways, sometimes calling Remus by his name feels weird, like it's too proper. I want to acknowledge that he's my dad too, I just don't know how."

"Try a nickname, maybe? Like instead of calling him Remus, try calling him Rem," Ron suggested, thankfully after he had swallowed his mouthful of chicken and gravy.

"Dad calls him that sometimes. It would feel kind of like...I dunno, intruding on something personal between them? Merlin, why is having parents so bloody difficult?" Harry groused as he smeared his potatoes around disinterestedly.

"I know, Harry! Call him Moony! I'm sure you'll never hear your dad calling him that, at least. It also shows that connection between Sirius, your birth father and Professor Lupin. He's not just your dad because he's bonded to Professor Snape, but because he's always been a part of your life."

"I never thought of that," Harry said thoughtfully, wondering if perhaps that was a getting a bit _too_ personal. "I'll talk to him about it; see what he feels comfortable with. I don't want to make my dad uncomfortable by calling Remus 'Moony' either, because I'm sure that name is associated with memories he'd rather not recall every time I address Remus."

Harry turned around as he felt someone tap gently on his shoulder, and let the wide grin spreading across his face go unchecked. "Draco."

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Draco asked, glancing at his boyfriend's two friends, hoping they would take the hint that he was inviting Harry only.

Harry looked between Ron and Hermione before shrugging and setting his cutlery down. "Yeah, sure. See you guys in class." He grabbed his bag out from under the table and stood, walking with Draco into the Entrance Hall. He didn't ask where they were going; they couldn't go outside, so wondering the corridors would have to suffice. When they started to climb the spiral staircase and head up to the seventh floor, Harry knew where they would end up.

It was overcast and slightly windy outside as they stepped out onto the ramparts. It smelt like rain, and the air had a slight chill to it that was made worse by the gusty wind. The Astronomy tower seemed to be Draco's favourite place now, and Harry couldn't blame him. The view was beautiful, and it was the only way they could be outside.

"The Slytherins all know that I've got my memory back, and there's trouble starting already."

Harry gasped as Draco turned towards him, frowning at the blonde as he moved closer. He brushed the blonde tresses out of his face before kissing him gently on the lips.

"Did anyone try to hurt you? I swear I'll hunt them down, Draco."

Draco smiled and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, pulling the Gryffindor close and laying his head on Harry's shoulder. "My hero," he whispered, preening when Harry began to run his fingers through his white-blonde hair.

"No one has tried to hurt me, no, but there have been threats. Apparently Blaise Zabini has taken up my position as most prominent in Slytherin, and he's been poisoning all of their minds. I'm positive that he's Marked, and he's been filling the younger kids' heads with Pure-blood nonsense." Draco paused and looked up at Harry, though it had the effect of looking right _through_ Harry instead of at him. "He's doing what I used to do," Draco whispered, sounding both shocked and guilty at the same time.

"You're not that person anymore, there's no need to be upset over it, alright?" Harry reassured his boyfriend, cupping his cheeks and forcing the blonde to look into his eyes and see the honesty written there.

Draco sighed and nodded, offering Harry a chaste kiss in gratitude of his unwavering support. "Blaise told me I need to rethink my loyalties and realize I'm making a mistake by being with you. He said I had to stick with my own and become loyal to Slytherin, or else."

"Or else what? Who the hell does he think he is, Voldemort's poster-boy junior Death Eater? He lays one finger on you and I'll break every bone in his damn body. He's the one making the mistake by threatening my boyfriend."

Draco smirked, biting his bottom lip to try to control its spread, but he was unsuccessful. Harry glared at him for a second before realizing that he shouldn't be getting mad at Draco. He was the victim in this. "What's so amusing, eh?"

"You're bloody gorgeous when you're pissed off," Draco said quietly, the smirk taking over his face even as Harry blushed a bright crimson and tried to look away. "Oh you're going to play coy now, are you? Remember, I have _all_ of my memories; old and new."

Harry's blush deepened, but there was a smirk of his own creeping onto his lips, making Draco chuckle. There was a spark in Harry's eyes that took Draco's breath away, and also made him uncomfortably aware of just how tight his pants were starting to feel.

"You better remember that," Harry whispered, feeling triumphant when Draco blushed just as deeply as he had before. However much he wanted to continue on this road, he knew Draco had brought him up to the tower for a different reason, and he didn't want to take that away from him.

"Look, we can tell my dad about Zabini giving you trouble, see what he has to say about it. If you want, I can make sure you're never alone, even if I have to have Hermione watch over you in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, since I won't be there to do it. I won't let anything happen to you, Draco; I promise."

Draco sighed, his concern and fear showing through for the first time as he let his mask slide completely. He had gotten so good at it that Harry hardly ever suspected it of being there. "I love you."

Harry pulled Draco down for a long kiss, ignoring the distant sound of the bell ringing, signifying that lunch was over and they were now both late for Charms. "I love you too."

S~S~S~S

The next morning dawned bright and early, and Harry really didn't want to go to class. It felt like a lazy day, and he lay in bed perhaps a bit longer than necessary, as his father came into his room and vanished his pillows and blanket.

"Get up, Harry. You're going to miss breakfast. Draco's waiting for you," Severus said as the bright light of his wand unmercifully poked Harry in the eyes. He pulled his pyjama shirt over his head to block out the light, and yelped quite loudly as all of his clothes, except for his boxers, vanished as well.

"Dad!"

"Up. Now!"

Harry heard somebody chuckling as he rolled out of bed, and glared at Draco as he waltz into the room, fully dressed and looking wide awake. Harry's hair was even more messy than usual, and he was starkers besides his boxers, though he didn't mind that fact in front of Draco.

"What are you laughing at?" Harry asked grumpily, digging through his trunk for a clean set of robes and his tie. He jumped as he felt two arms wrap around his bare waist, but smiled as he stood up straight and felt Draco's some-what pointy chin lean on his bare shoulder.

"Oh nothing. I just like seeing you and Severus so...comfortable with each other," Draco said with a soft smile, trailing his hands over Harry's stomach. He chuckled as the Gryffindor broke out in goose pimples and squirmed away from him.

"No time for that, Draco. Dad will vanish my boxers next if I waste anymore time," Harry said with a shiver, pulling on his trousers and throwing on a partially wrinkled shirt. He struggled with his tie for a few seconds before Draco took pity and tied it for him.

"Mmm, but I wouldn't mind that at all," Draco whispered as he pulled Harry closer by his tie and kissed him. He smirked against Harry's lips as he fell limp against his chest. They jumped apart as they heard a loud cough from the doorway and blushed as Remus gave them both reproving looks.

"You have fifteen minutes before the first bell, boys. Hurry up."

Harry finished buttoning his shirt and pulled his robes on, grabbing his book bag from the end of his bed and following Draco out of the dungeon quarters. Remus and Severus were walking not too far behind them having a whispered conversation. Harry was trying not to listen in, but it was inevitable as their voices rose.

"...I told you it's fine, Remus, now drop it."

"Severus, please just let me – "

"No. Drop it."

The Potions Professor sped up so that he passed Harry and Draco, leaving Remus walking alone behind them. Harry slowed his steps, waving Draco on in front of him. He fell in step with his step-father, who had a very confused look on his face.

"What's wrong with Dad?"

Remus sighed as he looked over at his step-son, glad for his company. "I was trying to set it up so that Severus would think we forgot about his birthday so we could surprise him this evening, but he woke up in quite a snit this morning. I'm afraid your father is less fond of his birthday than we suspected."

Harry frowned as he shifted his book bag on his shoulder. "Maybe the party tonight isn't such a good idea, then."

"Yes, well, I kind of suggested something like throwing him a little party, and that just made things worse. He said no one need bother going through such trouble for him. I tried to explain that it's not trouble for us, but he refused to listen. I don't want to completely ignore his birthday, but he doesn't seem like a huge fan of having a party either. I'll try to talk him around a bit today. Maybe wish him a happy birthday, see what his reaction is?" Remus suggested as they reached the top of the stairs into the Entrance Hall.

"Yeah, alright. I hope he doesn't stay in a bad mood all day. I wonder why he hates his birthday so much."

Remus sighed again as they entered the Great Hall and came level with the Gryffindor table. He pulled Harry into a hug. "Frankly, I'm too afraid to ask. Have a good day, Harry."

"You too, Moony," Harry replied, testing out one of the nicknames he had thought about using for Remus. He held his breath as Remus paused and turned back towards him. He felt his chest tighten as the man gave him a strange look, but released his breath in relief as Remus smiled warmly at him, nodding his head as if in approval.

After Harry had his plate almost full of food, Hermione looked up from her book across the table and smiled at him. "Well, that went well. What's wrong? You both looked pretty worried when you walked in."

"You're very observant. It's almost creepy," Harry replied, receiving a glare from Hermione and a chuckle from Ron, who was sitting to the right of Hermione.

"I just happened to notice. It's not like I follow you around or something," Hermione snapped, opening her book once more and disappearing behind it.

Harry stopped laughing and cleared his throat, feeling slightly guilty for upsetting his friend. "I was only kidding, Hermione. Sorry, it's been a bit of a rough morning. But speaking of following people around, I have a favour to ask you."

Hermione sniffed as she looked up from her book trying to look haughty, but falling short as her curiosity got the best of her. "Well, I really shouldn't, but...What do you need, Harry?"

Harry grinned at the bushy haired girl, glad he could count on her, even after being an arse. He really did have amazing friends. "Draco has been receiving threats from the Slytherins."

"Already? They don't waste any time do they, those snakes," Ron said through a mouth full of sausage, thoroughly disgusting Hermione.

"What happened, Harry? Is Draco alright?" Hermione asked as she sat her book aside and leaned forward, almost landing herself into her bowl of porridge. Her expression was concerned, but there was also a hint of something else hidden in there.

"He's fine, just a bit spooked. He mentioned Blaise Zabini specifically. I know they both have Arithmancy and Ancient Runes with you, so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Draco and making sure Zabini keeps to himself. I don't want him left alone anywhere," Harry said in a quiet voice, so as not to attract the attention of the people around them.

Ron looked over Harry's head towards the Slytherin table and frowned. "Mate, that Zabini bloke is sitting next to Malfoy right now."

Harry whipped his head around so fast he felt his neck snap unpleasantly. Rubbing his sore neck, Harry tried to look conspicuous as he looked across the Hall towards his boyfriend. The tall black boy who had been looking quite smug lately was indeed sitting right next to Draco, but he seemed to be minding his own business or chatting with Theodore Nott on the other side of him.

When Harry caught Draco's eye, the blonde smiled and shook his head, as if saying he was alright. Harry smiled back and turned back around to face Hermione and Ron once more.

"It's alright, he's fine. I still don't want him to be alone anywhere, though. Zabini isn't stupid enough to do anything in the middle of the Great Hall, but that doesn't mean he won't try to ambush Draco in the corridors."

The bell for first period rang, and all of the students who were still sitting in the Great Hall made for the doors to head to their classes. Harry waited by the door for Draco, and was glad when both Ron and Hermione waited with him. He offered his two best friends a thankful smile and led the way to Potions, Draco's hand in his.

Outside the Potions classroom, all of the N.E.W.T. students were waiting for Professor Snape to open the door and direct them all in. The Slytherins were all standing together, of course, and when Harry and Draco approached, jeering and cat-calls rang out.

"Always knew you were a whore, Malfoy. You gave up everything just for a piece of Gryffindor arse," snapped Theodore Nott. The other Slytherins snickered along with him, all except for Pansy, who just looked uncomfortable.

Harry, Draco, and surprisingly Ron all three had their wands out just as the door to the Potions classroom opened. Nott and Zabini had pulled their wands as well. Severus looked around and took in the scene, sighing inwardly at his luck. Of course today was going to be a bad day. Why not?

"All of you put your wands away this instant, before I start assigning detentions. I don't care who did what or why; you're not to pull your wands on each other unless instructed to do so. Ten points each from all of you," the Potions Master hissed, pointing towards the open classroom door. He waited until most of the class had filed in before grasping Harry's shoulder lightly to keep him from entering, ignoring the groan that emitted from the teen.

"What was that all about, Harry? You should know better."

"I can't explain everything right now, Dad. I'll talk to you tonight, alright?" Harry whispered, watching carefully as Draco sat down and saved a seat at the front of the classroom for him. He made to enter the classroom, but the Potions Professor held tighter still.

"Is everything alright, at least?" Severus asked, annoyed that his son was seemingly keeping things from him already. That would definitely have to stop.

Harry sighed and let his shoulders relax, realizing that his father was simply worried about him. He felt a warmth settle in the pit of his stomach and smiled lightly up at his father. "For now it is."

Severus released the Gryffindor's shoulder and was about to follow him in when Harry stopped him this time.

"By the way; Happy Birthday, Dad."

Severus watched as Harry walked into the classroom and took his seat next to Draco, leaning over to whisper something in the blonde's ear. He felt as though he carried some talisman now as he walked into the classroom and began to write the instructions for the lesson on the chalk board. Maybe his birthday wasn't so horrible after all.

S~S~S~S

After lunch, during which Harry stared across the Hall at the Slytherin table, the Gryffindor Trio and Draco made their way to the Defence classroom for a double period. Again, there was taunting from the Slytherins, but Draco ignored it the best he could.

"I'm going to talk to my father about this tonight, I promise," Harry whispered to the blonde as they sat down at a table in the back together.

"Don't bother, Harry. No matter what Severus tells them, they'll never stop antagonizing me. I just have to deal with it and hope it dies down after a while. You should know how I feel, what with the way people have treated you after all the stories in the _Prophet_," Draco answered as he pulled out his book and flipped to the chapter they had been working on in the previous lesson.

"Oh, so you weren't oblivious to all the crap I've gotten over the years, then?" Harry asked jokingly, though he was quite curious about Draco's response.

Draco glared at the Gryffindor just as the Defence Professor began writing on the chalk board. "Of course I wasn't oblivious, Harry; I just chose to ignore it because it clashed with my preconception of you."

"Prat."

"I won't argue with that."

"Everyone put your books away and take out your wands. Today is going to be focusing on the practical aspects of Defence," Professor Lupin instructed the class, smiling when most of the students celebrated with a whoop of joy, though Hermione Granger looked reluctant to stow her book back in her book bag.

"I need two volunteers – from different houses, please."

No one seemed to be willing to volunteer, probably after remembering the practical lessons with Snape, which were slightly more daunting than what Remus would probably have them do. Harry sighed heavily as he raised his hand, but felt glad that he did in the next instant when Blaise Zabini was the second volunteer. Now he would get to pay Zabini back for threatening Draco, and show him what would happen if he ever cared to make good on that threat.

"Alright, Harry, Blaise; come to the centre of the room. The rest of you, please move all of the desks to the sides of the classroom and stay back."

Harry watched as the pompous, much taller Slytherin whispered to his friends before moving towards the centre of the classroom. He was eyeing Harry with a smirk that said he thought he'd already won. Harry couldn't wait to wipe that smirk off of his face.

Once the rest of the class had followed directions, Remus stood between the Gryffindor and Slytherin, already feeling a slight sense of dread. Harry looked very determined, whereas the Slytherin looked extremely haughty. Harry was going to wipe the floor with him, the poor sod.

"In our last class, we discussed the use of modified shield charms to protect against rampant curses that are usually capable of breaching a standard shield charm. This is definitely a bit more challenging than learning a spell. The incantation is still _Protego_. However, what modifies it is your willing it to change shape, size, strength and trajectory using the force of your magic willpower alone. There is no special wording or wand movement that will modify the charm. It is your power that will change it."

Remus moved around the classroom as he spoke, watching carefully as the Slytherins glared at the Gryffindors from opposing sides of the room. He had flashbacks to the Duelling Club in his Hogwarts years, and made a mental note to discuss starting one up again with Severus and Dumbledore.

"Harry, you block first. Zabini, use any legal spell that you think may be able to defeat a shield charm. For the first attempt, don't use full power," Remus instructed the Slytherin, who brandished his wand like it was some noble sword. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Harry got in position to block, but before he could even shout the incantation, Zabini had sent a slashing hex at him, full force. He ducked just as the curse flew over his head, the Gryffindors behind him scattering with a shriek. The wallpaper split and rolled down the wall where the hex had landed, a large dent in the plaster that covered the outer stone walls.

"Five points from Slytherin for deliberately disobeying my orders. I said not to use full power for the first attempt. You are a N.E.W.T. student, Zabini, you should know to give your opponent adequate time to defend themselves before attacking," Remus said reprovingly, sending a repairing charm at the wall as the Gryffindors slowly moved back to their positions behind Harry, the Slytherins trying to hide their snickers behind their hands.

Draco, who was standing off to the side, not with the Slytherins or Gryffindors, took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. He knew matching Zabini with Harry wasn't a good idea after what he had told Harry, but he hadn't expected his fellow Slytherin to fight dirty.

"To be honest, sir, in a real fight, you wouldn't give your foe time to prepare for attack; you'd just attack."

"Mr. Zabini, when you have fought multiple Death Eaters simultaneously and held your own, then you can lecture about how 'real fights' would go. Until then, kindly shut up and do as you're instructed," Remus said in a soft voice that still managed to carry throughout the classroom. It was eerily similar to the Potions Professor's biting comments.

"Zabini, you block while Harry attacks."

Harry let a smirk of his own stretch across his face as Zabini quickly got into a defensive stance. There weren't very many spells that weren't particularly harmful that a shield charm couldn't protect against, though Harry wasn't exactly concerned with _not_ injuring Zabini just then.

"_Confringo!_"

"_Protego!_"

Harry's blasting curse met Zabini's shield charm with an almighty bang, a cloud of smoke enveloping the Slytherin. There was a few seconds where Harry thought he might have actually blown his opponent to pieces, but as the smoke started to clear, Zabini emerged, covered in soot with his hair singed, coughing. Harry tried to bite back his laughter, but gave up the attempt as the rest of the Gryffindors, and even a few Slytherins, started laughing at the dishevelled appearance of the tall Slytherin.

"You apparently misunderstood how to modify the charm, or else you are just incapable, Zabini. Another Slytherin, perhaps?"

The rest of class went particularly well for the Gryffindors, as the Slytherins all seemed to make asses of themselves, Draco being the exception as he successfully modified his shield charm to protect against Neville's Leg-Locking jinx. Harry was extremely glad that, though the DA never practiced modified shield charms, everyone who had been a part did exceedingly well.

There were a few minutes before the bell for the end of class as everyone moved all of the desks back to their original places. Harry was looking around for his book bag, which had been misplaced with all of the shifting of the desks.

"Harry, is everything alright?" Remus asked as he straightened the desks in the third row. He noticed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were searching the classroom for something, while Draco was waiting by the door patiently. He found it odd.

"I can't find my book bag. I thought I left it against the wall when we moved the desks, but it's not there." Harry moved closer to Remus, looking around to make sure everyone else was otherwise occupied. "My cloak was in that bag, Moony," he whispered with a worried look.

Remus felt his stomach drop at those words. He knew that Harry would be devastated to lose James' cloak, but he could also remember all of the nights they had used that cloak in their own Hogwarts days to sneak around and cause mischief. They had to find it. "We'll find it, Harry."

"_Colloportus!_" Remus shouted, pointing his wand at the door. There was a minute until the bell, but no one would be leaving the classroom until Harry's bag was found.

"There is a missing book bag somewhere within this classroom. No one will be leaving until it is found and returned to its owner. I suggest you all start searching."

The class groaned as they dropped their own book bags and began to search the cabinets, under desks, in the storage cabinet, behind the tapestries and underneath the tanks and cages that would have held dark creatures. Remus began floating book bags over to himself, checking that there were no concealment charms on any of them.

"Harry, why don't we just try to summon it?" Hermione asked after checking everywhere twice, and even a third time.

Harry glared at his bushy haired friend as he checked the storage cabinet for the fourth time. "Don't you think I've already tried that, Hermione? That was the _first_ thing I tried, and you know how strong my summoning charms are after the First Task."

"Someone must be holding it hostage, mate. That's the only thing I can think of," Ron said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

Remus sighed heavily, pinching his nose as the other students all began to give up the search and move back towards the door. He became increasingly aware of how much he resembled his husband at that moment. "I did not say you'd be released if the bag wasn't found. I said no one was leaving until it was found. If someone has the bag and is intentionally keeping it hidden, there will be more than just detentions assigned."

There was a scuffle by the door as Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott attempted to curse the door open as the bell rang. Remus was there in a flash, summoning both of their wands from them, as well as their book bags. One of them was much too heavy for a sixth years' workload. Opening the bag after checking for curses, Remus pulled out another badly shrunken book bag. It was Harry's, stuffed inside Zabini's.

"Mr. Zabini, Mr. Nott; you two stay." Remus waved his wand to unlock to door, releasing the other students as he resized Harry's bag and handed it back to him. "I think maybe carrying your cloak in your book bag isn't such a good idea without some sort of warding on it, yes?" Remus whispered to Harry as everyone filed out.

Harry sighed in relief as he checked inside his bag to make sure his cloak and books were still safely inside. He nodded sheepishly, sending a heated glare towards the two Slytherins who were waiting for their punishments. "I reckon you're probably right. See you later, Moony."

"Tell your father I might be a bit late. I need to escort these two to Dumbledore's office," Remus answered with a very stern look at the Slytherins.

Harry enjoyed seeing the stricken looks on Zabini's and Nott's faces as he waved to his step-father and left the classroom, meeting up with Draco, Ron and Hermione in the hallway.

"That was close, Harry. Why on earth would they want your book bag? Do you think they know about the cloak?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice as they walked down the corridor.

"I don't see how they could know. You guys are the only ones who know about it, aside from Dumbledore," Harry said with a bemused expression. He looked over at Draco, who was frowning as he watched his feet pointedly. He paused, making Ron walk straight into his back.

"Draco..."

Draco winced and looked up, a pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry, Harry...I found out about it in third year, or at least I suspected. I was talking to Crabbe and Goyle about it, but Zabini was there. I forgot that he knew as well. I have no idea how he could have known it was in your bag during class today, though. I swear I didn't say anything."

Harry sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. He knew it wasn't Draco's fault; they'd been enemies back then, he'd expect stuff like that from the old Draco. It was very disconcerting to know that the Slytherins knew about his cloak, however.

"It's ok, Draco. It's not your fault. I just need to make sure I'm more careful with it in the future. I'll see you two later. I've got to go deal with my dad," Harry said with a frown.

"What's wrong with Snape?" Ron asked, earning himself in elbow in the stomach from Hermione. "What?"

"You don't have to call him 'Snape' like that, Ronald. You could at least say Professor Snape, or your father. Show some respect."

Harry chuckled as Ron just sent him a bewildered look. "It's alright, Hermione. I don't think Ron meant it in a derogatory way. That's just what he's always called him. Today's my dad's birthday, and he doesn't seem too fond of that fact."

"'Course not. Tosser is getting older, aint he? I don't think any old person likes their birthday," Ron said with a shrug, earning a glare and a 'chyah' admonishment from Hermione.

Hermione shook her head exasperatedly as they reached the Entrance Hall, where they would be parting ways. "Tell him I said happy birthday, alright Harry?"

"Yeah, I will," Harry replied as he and Draco headed down to the dungeons, while Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall for dinner.

S~S~S~S

"Get your feet off of my table, Malfoy, or I shall see fit to permanently remove said feet," Severus snapped as he entered his quarters to find Harry and Draco doing homework in the sitting room, the Slytherin sprawled on the sofa in a most undignified way.

Draco quickly pulled his socked feet off of the coffee table, sharing a wary glance with Harry as they both continued to do their homework. It was painfully obvious that the Potions Master was not in any better of a mood than he had been that morning, which boded ill for their birthday plans.

"Where's Remus?" Severus asked as he pulled a book off of the shelf behind his armchair and flipped through it agitatedly. One of his third years had managed to singe the hair from the entire class's heads – except for Severus, of course, who had used a shield charm to protect himself from the explosive potion. Madam Pomfrey had not yet been able to help grow their hair back, and many of the girls refused to leave the infirmary until it was fixed.

"He said to tell you he'll be a bit late. Zabini and Nott tried to nick my book bag in class, so he's taking them to Dumbledore for their punishments," Harry said as he continued to focus on his Transfiguration essay, which was due the next day.

Severus found the book he was searching for, quickly stepping over to the fire and throwing floo powder in, along with the book. "Hogwarts Infirmary!" The book was whisked away in green flames, leaving Severus to turn back to his arm chair, and promptly drop into it, exhausted.

"Why on earth were Zabini and Nott trying to steal your bag, and why didn't Remus send them to me for punishment?"

"My cloak was in the bag, and they didn't return it when he warned the whole class that more than detentions would be assigned when Remus found it. He was right bloody mad," said Harry, crossing out a line in his essay that didn't make any sense. He glanced over to Draco's parchment, but yelped when his father sent a stinging hex at him.

"No cheating, Potter. I hear Zabini has been giving quite a few students issues as of late. Do you think you were targeted on purpose, or just randomly?"

"Am I ever a random target?" Harry asked incredulously as he rubbed at the angry red welt on his wrist. He glared at Draco as the blonde snickered at him. "Zabini threatened Draco personally. I think he's trying to get to him through me."

Severus sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to have to have a long talk with his Slytherins, and not just Zabini and Nott. He'd heard enough throughout the last week to know that there were many ill feelings towards Draco because of his seeming 'betrayal'. Just as Severus was considering pouring himself some firewhiskey, Remus walked in, looking as haggard as the Potions Professor felt.

"That Zabini kid is a real piece of work, I'll tell you! He lied through his teeth, claiming that someone had planted Harry's book bag inside of his. Utter rubbish. Dumbledore assigned him and Nott two weeks detention with Filch. That's it!"

"Good evening to you too, Remus," Severus drawled, deciding he might just reach for that firewhiskey anyways. Everyone seemed to be a particularly foul mood tonight.

Remus felt his annoyance begin to drain as he walked over to the Potions Master, leaning down to place a quick kiss on his lips. "Sorry, love. Long day."

"Mmm, I know the feeling. Bradley Barren, that thick-headed third year from Hufflepuff, decided to confuse wormwood and cedar bark. His hair thickening potion had the opposite affect when it exploded, removing everyone's hair but my own. Poppy had a riot on her hands with a bunch of crying thirteen year old girls who refused to leave without all of their luscious hair back in place."

Remus couldn't stop the laughter from bubbling up through his chest and escaping, clutching his stomach for support. Harry and Draco joined in, eventually pulling a reluctant grin from Severus as well. "I guess today has been all around not a very good day," the Potions Master sighed.

"Well, we could make the night better for you, at least. Dobby!" Harry called, grinning as the elf popped in with a large cake shaped like a cauldron. The little elf placed it gently on the coffee table and gave a low bow before disappearing once again.

The cake was very detailed, and in acid green letters in read 'Happy Birthday Professor Snape, sir!' Harry laughed at the incredulous look on his father's face, accepting the plates and forks that Dobby had popped back in to deliver.

"You let Dobby bake me a cake? I feel I should perhaps check it for poison first," Severus said with a frown, though he was fighting off the reluctant smile that kept trying to crop up. He'd never had a birthday cake before.

"Nah, Dobby wouldn't do anything like that, especially since he knows how important you are to me," replied Harry, who was sticking candles into the cake and using his wand to light them. Remus began to help with the candles, placing them strategically amongst the letters and details in the icing.

The Potions Professor shook his head exasperatedly as he watched Draco join in with the candle lighting as well. "Don't tell me you're actually placing thirty-six candles on that cake? You'll burn the castle down."

"Shush, Severus, and prepare to be sang to," Draco said with a smirk as he lit the last candle. Harry, Remus, and Draco all sang Happy Birthday to the Potions Master, who had a slight blush on his cheeks even as he scowled at them.

"Now blow out the candles and make a wish, Dad," Harry instructed, watching as the wax began to drip onto the icing.

"What am I, five? I'm not going to make a wish."

"Just do it, love," Remus said with a smile, coaxing his bond mate with a wave of his hand towards the cake.

Severus rolled his eyes and leaned forward with a heavy sigh. He felt absolutely ridiculous, but he knew he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't just blow the blasted candles out. Taking a deep breath, he blew out all thirty-six candles in one breath.

"What did you wish for?" Draco asked as he began removing candles from the cake, licking the icing from the ends as he sat them aside.

"I did not see fit to make a wish," Severus replied as he sat back down, glaring at Remus as he sat on the arm of his chair. He smirked as Remus rolled his eyes and sat on the floor in front of his feet instead, leaning against his legs.

Harry removed the last of the candles and started to cut the cake, frowning over at his father. "Well why not? Come on, even if it seems ridiculous, you should make one anyways. It's like a birthday rule or something."

"A rule, eh? And who made this rule?" Severus asked as he grudgingly accepted the piece of cake that was being shoved into his hands.

Harry shrugged as he handed Remus and Draco a piece of cake, then cutting one for himself before sitting down on the sofa beside the Slytherin. "I dunno. It's just a rule. Everyone knows that. Sorry that I don't really have a gift to give you. I was planning on looking in Hogsmeade for something, but the trips got cancelled."

Severus hated to admit it, but the cake was actually quite delicious. He forced himself to take small, even bites. "Do not concern yourself, Harry. I am not exactly known for celebrating my birthday. In fact, this is the first time since my Hogwarts years that anyone besides Albus has made any sort of fuss about it."

"That's really depressing," Draco said with a frown, wondering why he had never considered his godfather's birthday before. He felt guilty, losing his appetite for the rest of his cake.

"Not really. I've never put much stock into becoming a year older. Besides, the most Albus ever did was send me a pair of garish socks and a bottle of firewhiskey," Severus said with a nonchalant shrug, not intending to make anyone feel guilty by his words. He'd never celebrated his birthday, not even as a child. While attending Hogwarts, Lily had of course been the only one to recognize his birthdays until after fifth year.

"Socks? Dumbledore gave you socks?" Remus asked with a bemused expression as he set his fork and plate aside.

"One strange pair for every year that I've taught here," Severus replied as he set his empty plate beside Remus' on the coffee table.

Draco snorted as he finished his cake, swiping his finger into the icing on Harry's slice of cake and earning himself a glare. "That man really is quite odd."

"No wonder you won't let me look into your sock drawer," Remus chuckled.

Harry sighed, knowing exactly how it felt to have his birthday completely ignored, receiving nothing but a few cards from his friends, if even that. "Still, I feel bad not getting you anything."

"Harry – you, Remus, and Draco have given me more than I could possibly ask for. Having a _family_ birthday party is gift enough for me," Severus explained quietly. This had certainly been his best birthday yet, and he appreciated his son's efforts.

Harry smiled, trying to blink back the annoying tears that were trying to leak from his eyes. He was glad when Draco pulled him close and gave him a quick kiss.

"Why don't you like your birthday, Sev?" Draco asked hesitantly, wondering if he just hated any sort of celebration or if there was a specific reason.

"When I was sixteen, my mother became ill. She was in hospital for most of the first half of my seventh year in Hogwarts, and when I returned home for Christmas hols, she got worse. I was in the hospital watching over her the entire time before she passed away just after Christmas...on my seventeenth birthday," Severus explained, looking like his mind was in a far off place rather than the dungeons of Hogwarts.

Everyone was silent as they sat consumed by their own sense of horror at the story. No wonder the Potions Master hated his birthday, the poor man. "I'm so sorry, Dad..." Harry whispered.

"It was a long time ago, Harry, but thank you."

Everyone in the room jumped as the floo roared into life. Albus stepped out of the green flames and brushed his robes off. He was holding a small wrapped package, his eyes gleaming madly.

"Happy Birthday, Severus."

Severus nodded as he accepted the package, wondering what kind of ludicrous socks the Headmaster had gifted him this year. He snorted as he opened the package and held up the bright silver and green socks there were inside. They said '#1 Dad!' all over them.

"Why thank you, Albus."

The Headmaster chuckled as he took the piece of cake that Harry offered him, happily licking the icing off of the fork with an appreciative hum. He ate the piece in its entirety and vanished all of the dirty dishes with the flick of his wand before he turned to leave. He paused with the floo powder in his hand, however.

"Oh yes. Ms. Tonks arrived at the Ministry about an hour ago," he said with a cheerful smile, his eyes twinkling so much they were almost blinding.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh yes, evil cliff hanger indeed! Don't worry, I'll be posting the next chapter fairly soon. Please review and let me know what you think!


	33. A Father's Love

**A/N: **Here's another chapter for you! These next couple of chapters are really important, so pay close attention! I'm out of school until August, so I should have more time to write now! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 33.  
A Father's Love**

After Dumbledore's announcement the night before, Harry made sure he could talk to Tonks the next day. She willingly came to the castle during lunch, where she met up with Harry, Draco, Hermione, Ron, Remus, and Severus down in the dungeons.

"You're ok, right? You're not hurt?" Harry asked for the tenth time after they finished eating and sat down around the coffee table together.

"_Yes_, Harry, I'm fine. I was checked over about a million times at the Ministry and taken to St. Mungo's for a check up. I'm completely healthy, and I was never even hurt the entire time of my imprisonment," Tonks reassured everyone. Even if Harry was the only one who asked, she knew the others all had the same worries.

"Albus refused to give us any information because the investigation is still going. I assume you were told not to say anything as well, but..." Remus said, leaving it hanging as if it were a question.

Tonks nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "If you all take a Wizard's Oath to not speak about it until after the investigation with anyone outside of this room, then I'll tell you everything I can."

Everyone in the room held out their wands, handle first, and waited for Tonks to touch each of them with the tip of her own. The Oath was sealed with a bright flash of light as everyone stowed their wands away once more.

"The night I was taken, I was hit with a stunning spell. I had wards that would alert me if anyone came within ten feet of my patrol zone, just for security, but they never went off. I never saw it coming. The next thing I know, I'm laying on a bed in some strange room I'd never seen, tied up. I could hardly move, and I had a gag in my mouth so I couldn't really make any noise. After about fifteen minutes of wondering about my fate, someone came into the room." Tonks paused as she looked up at Draco. Her frown was enough to speak for her.

"No! My father?" Draco burst out, aghast.

"Yes, it was Lucius Malfoy. He told me if I promised to cooperate he would untie me and tell me his reasons for my capture. I had to give a Wizard's Oath. He untied me and had a house elf bring us both food. I was really confused by then. He told me that he did not capture me as a mission for Voldemort, but for personal reasons. He wanted to know any information that I knew concerning his wife's murder and the accident his son was involved in. As an Auror, I'm also required to take certain oaths and vows to protect information. I explained that I couldn't release the information without getting express permission from my superior.

"This of course posed a problem, since Kingsley is my superior and in the Order. Malfoy knew that if we were to contact him at all, the deal would be up right away. I told him that there was a way to get around the vows and oaths, but it would be really difficult."

"And what way was that?" Severus asked, though his tone sounded like he was only humouring everyone by asking the question because he already knew.

"Pensieve memories of the meetings and raids. Because I wasn't actually giving him the specific information, it wasn't technically breaking any of the oaths or vows. I was having a hard time separating the memories out, though, because I'm not a very good Occlumens. Once I finally got all of them separated and into vials for Malfoy, I had already been there for more than a week. After that, it took him another week to watch them all, and then give them back to me. Once I had them all back, he began to try to question me without breaking any of the vows or oaths. We actually had fun trying to figure out ways to ask and answer the questions," Tonks said with a smirk as she sipped at the cup of tea that Remus had passed her.

"You guys had _fun_ together? Are you sure it was Malfoy?" Ron asked with a bemused expression.

"Yes, it was definitely him."

Harry frowned as he thought over everything Tonks had revealed so far. It didn't quite make sense that the ruthless Death Eater who had tried to kill him last year treated Tonks so well as a prisoner, even having fun with her. Something didn't feel right. If he wasn't questioning her under Voldemort's orders, then why did he really care?

"Where were you kept? A cell, the basement?" Harry asked curiously.

"The bedroom I woke up in that first time was where I stayed. I wasn't allowed out of the room, but one of the house elves was ordered to watch after me and make sure I was comfortable at all times. I had plenty of food, he didn't lay a single hand on me, and the only time he used magic on me was that first night when he captured me. He really only wanted to know who killed his wife, and who attacked his son," said Tonks, shrugging as if she didn't quite understand it either.

"Why did he let you go? Did he learn everything he wanted to know?" Hermione asked, her expression quite interested. She had been listening intently the entire time, the same way she did when she was trying to figure out a hard Arithmancy problem.

"Perhaps not everything, but enough. He finally figured out that, in both instances, Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback were at the heart of the attacks. Oh, I was given permission to release that information by Kingsley, by the way," Tonks replied as she refilled her tea cup.

"He wants revenge...He's going to kill them both, mark my words," Draco said in a confident tone, looking like that information satisfied him quite a bit.

Tonks shook her head firmly, changing her hair from bubblegum pink to a white-blonde that matched Draco's perfectly. "He said he wanted revenge, yes, but he told me that he did not intend to kill them. He did say that...well, he wasn't quite sure where he stood anymore. If losing his family was the price for supporting Voldemort, he wasn't sure he was going to continue that line of thinking. However, he wasn't exactly ready to get buddy-buddy with Dumbledore and the Order either. He said he wanted to talk to Draco before he made any decisions, but he didn't state any specific plans. The night after he told me that, I woke up in the Atrium of the Ministry."

There was a long, tension filled silence as everyone became lost in their own thoughts. Tonks seemed to be perfectly fine with the entire situation, however, and gladly nibbled on the biscuits that accompanied the tea.

"At the risk of sounding like an arse...they have checked you for _Imperius_ and similar spells, right?" Ron asked, his expression almost hopeful. What Tonks had told them made no sense when it came to what they knew about Lucius Malfoy. Even Draco had a hard time believing it, and he was the man's son.

Tonks rolled her eyes and threw a half-eaten biscuit at Ron's head, earning a glare from Ron and Severus both as the Potions Master vanished it and all of its crumbs from his rug. "Of course. I was poked and prodded and tested for hours, thank you very much. I'm not under any spells, and I'm not lying. I would never have expected a Death Eater to treat me so well either, but he did."

"Anyways, I tried to convince him to try to talk to Dumbledore. If he wants revenge and doesn't want to support Voldemort anymore, then he should support the people trying to defeat him. He said he'd think about it," said Tonks.

Draco's eyes were wide as he stared at his older cousin. "He actually said he'd think about it? Was he taking the piss, or was he serious?"

Tonks shrugged, downing the rest of her luke-warm tea and setting the cup aside. "Who knows, Draco? I guess we'll find out eventually, yeah? I'm fine, you guys, and I don't think we'll have to worry about Lucius Malfoy any time soon." The Auror glanced at the clock above the hearth and stood up. "I've got to get going. Merlin knows if I ever show up late again, Moody and Shacklebolt will start a full scale search again."

"At least someone will be searching for you, since Fudge didn't see fit to put any effort into finding you. Has Kingsley really filed an impeachment against him to the Wizengamot?" Remus asked.

"He has, and he's pretty serious about it. It gives me warm and fuzzy feelings to know that people are still looking out for me in the Auror department. See you guys later." With that, Tonks flooed back to the Ministry, leaving behind a slightly confused, but all together relieved group.

S~S~S~S

The next morning, the _Daily Prophet_ revealed what Tonks had told everyone the previous night; an order of impeachment had been filed against the current Minister for Magic, and it was rapidly gaining popularity. There were many quotes from many high-up officials showing their support, including Dumbledore, who stated that though he did not want the job himself, he would support the order all the way to the Wizengamot, where he would vote yea.

Harry was shocked to see a few mentions of his name in the article as well, a small narrative about the happenings at the Ministry the previous year, and Fudge's lack of acknowledgment or action concerning Voldemort.

"People are finally realizing what a bigot Fudge has been. No matter how many stories Skeeter put out there that you were crazy, Harry, the Wizarding World has got no choice but to believe everything you said last year now," Hermione said with quite a smug smile as she spread jam over a warm piece of toast.

"It's about bloody time, too. I wonder who will take Fudge's place, though," Ron said, waving a fork full of eggs around and almost spattering Hermione's Potions book with yolk. She glared at him.

"I reckon either the Wizengamot will appoint someone, or there will be an election. I just hope whoever it is has more sense than Fudge," said Harry, stabbing a sausage link rather viciously as he remembered all the things Fudge had refused to believe.

"I don't think they'll make the mistake of choosing somebody so dim-witted this time, Harry," Hermione tried to reassure her dark-haired friend before turning back to her Potions text to study for that morning's quiz.

Just before the bell was due to ring for the first class of the day, Dumbledore stood up from his seat, affectively silencing the Great Hall. He raised his arms with a warm smile, brushing the Potions Master's shoulder, as if motioning for the man to stand up. Harry watched as his father rolled his eyes and stood beside the Headmaster, looking very disapproving of the fanfare.

"Good morning, students! Before you trek off to start your day of learning, I have an announcement to make. In light of recent events, Professor Snape and myself have decided to restart the Duelling Club in order to better teach you all to defend yourselves. The first meeting will be held tonight, here in the Great Hall, at seven-thirty. Students of all ages and houses are welcome, and groups will be made to teach the different levels accordingly. I encourage you all to join not only to learn how to properly defend yourselves, but improve your skills for tests such as your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. Have a wondrous day!"

Whispering broke out immediately, the bell ringing loudly over head. Everyone rushed to their first classes, as most students who had classes far away left breakfast early to get there on time. Harry held back, causing Ron and Hermione to stay with him. He smiled as Draco made his way across the hall and towards him.

"Why didn't Sev say anything earlier about starting the Duelling Club back up?" Draco asked as the four of them made their way to Potions together.

"Maybe he didn't want to say anything until he had full permission from Dumbledore. You're going tonight, right?" Harry asked, noticing that Ron and Hermione walked on the opposite side of Draco. He really hoped his friends would begin to accept his boyfriend, but he wasn't holding his breath.

"A chance to learn how to duel properly with Severus? Of course I'm going, Harry. Anyone would be daft not to attend. Dumbledore said that there would be separate groups, though. I wonder who else will be teaching. Certainly Severus doesn't have time to do it all himself?" responded Draco.

"I think Remus will probably be helping. I mean, he is the Defence teacher. I wonder why Dad is heading and not Moony?"

"I think you've got your answer right there, Harry. Remus isn't always reliable because of the full moons. I'm sure he'll be helping but it is a better idea to have Professor Snape heading the whole thing," Hermione said in a matter of fact voice, annoying Harry with her sideways insult to Remus.

"Hey, Harry – maybe we could get the D.A. in on this? I mean, you could even help teach!" Ron said with a wide smile as they made it down to the dungeons.

Harry grimaced as they entered the potions classroom, Ron and Hermione heading to one table while he and Draco went to another. "I don't really know if I want to teach..."

"I think it's a brilliant idea, Harry! You should talk to your dad about it," Hermione said just as the Potions Master walked in, the door slamming behind him. Harry didn't have a chance to respond as quizzes floated to each student.

"No talking. You have fifteen minutes to complete the quiz. If anybody needs more time than that, you clearly didn't revise enough. There will be a potion to brew after the quiz, so I suggest you get it out of the way as quickly as possible. As this is a double period, you will have an hour and forty-five minutes to work on your potions. You will need it, as we're beginning time-release potions this week. Next week, we will begin on long-term potions, which will be projects that will count for thirty percent of your grades. Get to work."

Even though Harry had studied for a couple of hours the night before with Draco and Hermione, he still found the quiz a bit challenging. He bit his lip, trying to remember the four uses of powdered salamander eggs in acidic potions. He decided he would ask his father about extra tutoring that night, knowing that failing his dad's class was definitely not an option.

After all of the quizzes had been collected, the Potions Professor put directions on the board for a new potion, which looked much more difficult than any of the potions they'd done so far that year. With N.E.W.T.s potions being a class that was ninety percent solo work, Harry couldn't depend on Draco to make sure he didn't blow up the classroom.

So far, so good, Harry thought. His potion looked to be the same colour and texture of Draco's and he was doing very well on time, considering they had only been working for half an hour and he was nearly half way done. He felt his breath quicken as the Potions Master walked towards his and Draco's work area to check on their progress.

"Your valerian roots are chopped a little too finely, Draco. I think adding an extra clockwise stir at step sixteen will make up for this," Severus said as he studied Draco's potion with a critical eye. He turned then to Harry's, watching as his son visibly gulped. He held back a smile.

The colour, texture, and even smell was precisely what it needed to be for the step that Harry was currently at in the brewing process. He had taken extra care to watch that Draco was not helping Harry, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Harry had done so well all on his own.

"Good job, Mr. Potter. Don't forget to turn the burner down for the next step."

Harry watched with his jaw hanging open as his father made his way to the other side of the classroom to check the progress of Ron's and Hermione's potions. He was snapped out of it by Draco, who nudged him with his elbow.

"Don't be shocked into ruining your potion, Harry," the blonde whispered, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

At the end of class, Harry couldn't believe he had actually turned in a vial of his potion, and received a passing grade for it. He bounded down the hall, pulling Draco by the hand, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt.

"Full marks! I got full marks in _potions_!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, earning strange looks from the people they passed. They had a free period before charms, and then lunch. Draco wasn't sure he was up to dealing with a disgustingly cheerful Harry for the next hour.

"Some people do that every day, Harry," Draco pointed out with an amused smile.

"Yes, but _I_ don't! And it's not because he's my dad, or because somebody helped me; I did it _all on my own_! Do you realize that's like the first time..._ever_?"

Draco chuckled as they made their way to his personal quarters to study for the exam that was scheduled for charms today. Hermione and Ron had gone off to study as well, or at least that's what they claimed. Harry had the sneaking suspicion that, now that everything was getting back to normal with Ron, the two of them would be back together soon enough.

"Yes Harry, I get it, and I'm very proud of you," Draco replied after saying the password to his quarters and dragging Harry in. He tossed his book bag onto his bed, Harry following his example.

Harry smirked as he pulled dragged Draco closer, brushing a tendril of white-blonde hair out of the Slytherin's steel grey eyes. "Don't I get some sort of reward for my excellence in potions?"

Draco rolled his eyes, but allowed Harry to pull him closer. His smile was genuine as he cupped the Gryffindor's cheek. "What exactly do you want as a reward, Harry? 'Reward' is a very broad term."

Harry pulled Draco even closer, so that there was no room between them at all. His hands were on Draco's hips, underneath his robes, with only the Slytherin's trousers between them. "Why don't you surprise me," Harry drawled, his good mood fuelling his courage.

As Draco pushed Harry forcefully up against the wall and began to slip his robes off, Harry was indeed surprised. Harry accepted the deep, passionate kiss Draco offered as his own robes were slid off of his shoulders and pooled around his feet.

S~S~S~S

At seven-fifteen, the Great Hall was already crawling with students of various ages and all houses. Groups were spaced around the Hall, talking quietly but excitedly together. The raised dais used for the Duelling Club in Harry's second year had made a reappearance, and the lack of the House tables made the Hall seem vastly larger than normal.

Harry, Draco, Ron, and Hermione were all standing off to the side of the dais, looking out for former D.A. members and calling them over. There were only a few students that had been in the D.A. who weren't there, but those were mostly people who had been in their seventh year last year.

"I really think you ought to talk to your father about leading a group, Harry. You really are a great teacher, and some of the students might find it easier to learn from a peer rather than a Professor. No offence to Professor Snape," Hermione said with an apologetic smile.

"I'll talk to him, but I still dunno if it's a good idea. You know he never really approved of it before," Harry said with a sceptical look on his face. He watched as his father swept into the Great Hall, Remus just behind him. The whispering and quiet talking ceased almost immediately. He grinned; his dad sure did have quite the presence about him.

Severus walked up the steps of the dais, Remus following behind him. He nodded at the Defence Professor as he stood off to the side, offering the main stage to Severus. The Potions Master flicked his wand, causing the doors to the Great Hall to bang shut and making everyone jump.

"Everyone in this room is here to learn how to duel properly and effectively, in accordance with Wizarding laws and duelling etiquette. This club is not an excuse to take your aggression out on your classmates, nor is it a joke. Learning to duel properly could save your life one day, and is not to be taken lightly. So, if any of you do not agree to adhere to my rules and Wizarding law regarding duelling, leave now and do not return. I reserve the right to kick any of you out at any given time as I see fit."

Two second year girls, who were trying to muffle giggles, ran from the Great Hall. A few other students looked like they wanted to leave, but stayed put as their friends convinced them to. After a minute without anyone leaving, Severus deemed it time to continue.

"The art of duelling is just that – an art. Some people are foolishly mistaken in thinking that throwing spells back and forth at each other and being able to block some of them constitutes as duelling. Those people are not only ignorant, but extremely wrong. Any witch or wizard can throw spells back and forth, but duelling is a skill. Knowing when and how to use both defensive and offensive spells and blocking properly and affectively is only part of duelling. The other part is etiquette, or what is considered 'fair-play', though that term is misleading, as it refers to duelling as 'play'. Duelling is not meant to be fun, though some may find enjoyment in it. It is a survival skill, and should be treated as such.

"To begin, Professor Lupin and I will be assessing your skills and separating you into different groups based on age, experience, and magical ability. To be sorted into a certain group does not mean you are unskilled or stupid, it simply means there is room for improvement. A first year cannot be expected to have the skills of a seventh year, and some of the older students may need some review with Defence. Surmise it to say that you've all been extremely lacking in Defence over the years due to incompetent instructors. Professor Lupin and myself are determined to get you all up to par with where you need to be in Defence, for your benefit in grades as well as survival."

"Everyone please break up into seven groups, according to your year. All houses will be clumped together; there will be no house segregation in this club, so get used to the idea of working with people you may not particularly like," Remus instructed, watching as the smaller groups around the hall amassed into seven larger groups. He could see already that having the Gryffindors and Slytherins together was going to be tricky, but that was part of the reason for restarting the Duelling Club. It was time that the students learned that being part of different houses didn't mean they had to all be at loggerheads.

Dividing up and working with separate groups, Severus and Remus quickly assessed the students, dividing everyone up into four groups; Advanced, Average, Acceptable, and Improvement Required. Each group was given a colour respectively – green, red, blue, and yellow – receiving duelling uniforms as well. By then it was already nine-thirty, and with curfew only half an hour away, it was time to release the students.

"The next meeting will be announced at breakfast the day of. If you have schedule conflicts, please come to myself or Professor Lupin to discuss it. As part of your separate groups now, you all have a responsibility to each other. Like your Houses, these groups will be like your new family. You're dismissed. Go straight to your dormitories, no dawdling. I _will_ take points if I catch any of you out after curfew."

Harry and Draco stayed in the Hall as the rest of the students filtered out, including Ron and Hermione. The four of them were of course in the Advanced group, along with many of the other D.A. members.

"So, when do we get to start duelling?" Draco asked as he, Harry, Severus and Remus made their way out of the Great Hall and towards the dungeons.

"We have to get through rules and etiquette before any real duelling can happen. Some of you may be familiar with duelling already, but unfortunately most of your classmates are complete novices to the art," Severus responded, flicking his wand behind him to make sure the doors of the Great Hall locked.

"Hermione brought up an idea she wanted me to ask you about, but I'm still not too sure about it," Harry said, sighing when Draco smiled at him proudly.

"Oh, and what's that, Harry?"

"You know about the D.A., right?" Harry asked, almost afraid of the answer. He knew his dad knew about their illegal club, and he was afraid he was going to get in trouble for it all over again.

"Yes, of course I know about it. I actually had a question for you concerning that. How do you feel about taking control of the Advanced group so that Remus and I may concentrate more on the lacking students?" Severus asked, trying to fight off a smile as a complete look of shock stole over his son's face.

Harry stopped in his tracks, causing Draco to run into him. He started moving again as Draco prodded him painfully in the back with an annoyed glare. "You're not serious, are you? Do you really think I'm advanced enough to teach the _Advanced_ group?"

"I do think you are advanced enough, Harry. You have proved it time and again in your Defence classes and life experiences. No other sixteen-year-old boy has duelled and won more fights with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself than you," Severus said, the pride in his voice shocking even himself.

Harry felt a burning behind his eyes and chastised himself for being so ridiculous. Many people had complemented him on his Defence skills, but to hear it from his father, from someone who used to insult his magical abilities so vehemently before, was something completely different. He stayed quiet for a long time, until they reached Draco's quarters and he gave his boyfriend a kiss goodnight. Once in their quarters, Harry turned to his father, hoping the unshed tears that were still in his eyes and the lump in his throat were not too obvious.

"Thank you, Dad. I'll try to head the Advanced group, if you really think I can do it."

Severus pulled Harry close to him, wrapping an arm firmly around the young man's shoulders as they entered their quarters. "You're welcome, Harry. I really do think you are capable and competent enough. I have every confidence in you, son."

Harry couldn't hold it back anymore, and instead hugged his father and buried his face in Severus' robes as tears leaked from his eyes. He felt like he was being completely ridiculous, but he had always dreamed of hearing a parent expressing their pride in him. He choked back a sob as Remus came up behind him, turning the hug into a group hug.

As his tears dried and his shaking came under control, Harry looked up to see that Remus had his head resting on Severus' shoulder. He watched as Severus kissed the other man gently on the forehead, unknowing of their audience. Harry smiled, feeling completely content for the first time in a long time. He had two loving parents, who loved each other and were not afraid to show it, and were proud of him. One of his dreams had finally come true.

S~S~S~S

The last class of the day, Transfiguration, was nearly over. However, Harry couldn't wait any longer, and raised his hand to ask to use the restroom. As he made his way down the Transfiguration corridor, he had the strange feeling that he was being watched. He paused, looking around to make sure there was no one following him. He shrugged and shook his head, willing his paranoia to go away.

After washing his hands and trying unsuccessfully to smooth his fly away hair down, Harry made for the exit to the boy's loo. He stumbled as somebody walked right into him, causing his glasses to fall off. As he bent down to pick them up, he saw the person who had bumped into him already holding his glasses out to him. He slipped them on and frowned as he looked up at Blaise Zabini.

"Sorry about that, Potter. Must be something in the water, or maybe McGonagall's voice is too similar to rushing water. Eh. Later," the tall black boy said with a shrug as he walked around Harry and into the loo.

Harry stood there, slightly confused and just a little suspicious before shrugging it off. He didn't know why he was being so paranoid, and it was starting to irk him. He took a second to re-strengthen his Occlumency shields, just to make himself feel better.

When Harry made it back to Transfiguration, he whispered to Draco about what had happened, both of them looking up as Zabini re-entered the classroom and headed back to his seat. He didn't seem to be doing anything shoddy as he picked up his quill to continue taking notes.

"I wouldn't read too much into it, Harry. I mean, if he really wanted to do something to you, I think knocking your glasses off wouldn't be the road he'd take. It was probably honestly just an accident," Draco reassured the Gryffindor in a whisper as Professor McGonagall's lecture started to wind down.

"Yeah...you're probably right," Harry muttered as he watched the Slytherin in question pack his books and parchment away. The bell rang, breaking his trance as he rushed to stow all of his supplies away as well.

S~S~S~S

_Ice cold wind lifted the edges of his shirt, and blew through his hair. The trees around him were clumped so thickly together that he could hardly see a foot in front of himself, the darkness near impenetrable. Not even the almost full moon provided enough light. Cold, confused, scared, and tired, Harry stumbled over to the closest tree, and slumped slowly to the forest floor in front of it. There was a low rumble just ahead, making Harry groan as he looked up. As he stared up at the canopy, he realized his vision was blurry; his glasses were missing. _

_Fat drops of rain began to pelt off of his already chilled skin. He put his arms up over his head, curling his legs in to try to keep the worst of the rain off of him. He noticed then that he was also barefoot. Grabbing for his wand to try to cast a charm to warm himself up, Harry realized his wand was gone. He tried not to panic, but it was pretty difficult in his present situation. There was no way he could get through the forest with no light and in the rain, so he'd have to wait until sunrise to make it back to the castle. _

_As he looked around, even without his glasses, he could see shadows moving closer. He couldn't tell what they were, but they were making chittering noises that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He heard a rustling from behind him and scrambled to his feet, reaching for his wand again and clenching his fists in frustration when he didn't find it. He squinted as hard as he could, but between the darkness, the rain, and his lack of glasses, he couldn't see anything. He felt his heart jump into his throat as the leaves of the bush he was staring at suddenly parted, and a pair of gleaming eyes moved forward. Harry quickly backed away, only to trip over a root that was sticking up. He scrambled back in an odd crab-walk on his hands and bum. Blind or not, Harry could not mistake that smell and that rough, gravely laugh. Fenrir Greyback was there, naught ten feet away from him. He threw his arms over his face in a weak attempt to protect himself, unable to keep a whimper from escaping him._

"Harry!"

With a jolt, Harry sat straight up in bed, his breath coming in heavy gasps as he tried to disentangle the sheets from his legs. He looked over at the doorway and saw Remus in his dressing gown, his wand lit and pointing towards Harry.

"Are you alright? I thought I heard shouting," Remus said, his expression extremely concerned as he moved into the room and sat down on the edge of Harry's bed. Upon closer inspection, the teen looked wretched, his eyes bloodshot and wide with fear, and his breath still much too quick for someone who had just been asleep.

"I...I was having a dream, or nightmare, rather," Harry whispered, trying to get his breathing under control. He realized he was shaking, and tried pulling his blanket closer to warm himself up.

Remus reached over and smoothed Harry's hair down, trailing his hand down to cup the Gryffindor's cheek. The boy was shivering, but his skin was nearly hot to the touch. "I think you have a fever, Harry. Was it a dream about Voldemort? Do you think it was a vision?"

Harry shook his head as he accepted the glass of water that Remus summoned for him. "No, I was definitely myself. I think it was just...a nightmare. My scar doesn't hurt."

"Well, if you want to talk about it you know I'm here for you. Your father, too. Try to get some more sleep; you have a few hours before you need to be up."

Remus was about to get up and leave when he received an armful of Harry. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around the teen, holding him close. He realized that Harry was lingering in the hug a little too long and pulled away to see his eyes drooping. Remus gently pulled the blankets up around Harry as he laid back down. He was already asleep when Remus left the room.

"Goodnight, son."

Remus' attempt to crawl back into bed quietly went without merit as Severus rolled over and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. He didn't even need to state his question as Remus smiled at him.

"Harry had a nightmare. I went to go check on him."

Severus was sitting up and halfway out of bed before Remus caught his arm, pulling him back down. "Is he alright? Was it another vision?" Severus asked, unaware of just how worried his voice sounded.

"He's fine, Severus. He said he's sure it wasn't a vision, and he fell right back to sleep after drinking some water. He did feel like he might have had a slight fever though. I'll check his temperature again in the morning."

Severus looked reluctant to go back to sleep, his eyes shifting between Remus and the bedroom door. He saw the knowing look in Remus' eyes and scowled and he stood up and pulled his dressing gown on.

"Shut up, Lupin," Severus muttered as he left to go check on Harry, trying to ignore the chuckle coming from his husband.

As he carefully eased Harry's bedroom door open, Severus thought that perhaps he was overreacting a bit. Remus had said the boy was fine, but he wanted to see for himself. He quietly walked in, peering at the teen over his blanket. His face was relaxed and his breathing was steady. He touched a hand to his forehead and felt that he was indeed a bit warm, but nothing too concerning.

Severus sighed as he brushed the messy locks of hair away from Harry's scar. That one little piece of flesh, that little jagged scar, was the reason for so much pain in his son's life. He'd heard about all the nightmares and the visions, though he had yet to play witness to one. He vowed then that he would do everything in his power to keep his son from suffering needlessly anymore.

"I love you, Harry. Sleep well."

* * *

**A/N:** So, questions, concerns, comments? Please review and let me know what you think!


	34. These Dreams

**A/N: **Hello my lovely readers! Well, this chapter is pretty much one of the most important ones, so pay attention. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Ch 34.  
These Dreams**

_**Minister Fudge Gets Impeached by Wizengamot!**_

_In an emergency meeting last night, the Wizengamot put up a vote for the impeachment of Minister Cornelius Fudge, based on lack of proper action during crises in the Wizarding world. The votes were counted as forty-six yeas, four nays. The newly appointment Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, made a statement last night after the adjourning of the meeting._

"_I have never aspired to be the Minister for Magic, but if I can do a better job than Fudge and fix the problems within the Ministry, then I will do it willingly. No longer will people be ignored; I will listen to all concerns and comments with equal consideration."_

_Many changes to inner-Ministry workings have been proposed and are already being put in place. Former Minister Fudge refused to comment, again. The _Daily Prophet_ will keep the readers updated as we receive the news._

"That was awfully fast," Harry said as Hermione finished reading the article aloud at breakfast.

"It wasn't fast enough, in my opinion. How that man _ever_ came to be in power is beyond me," Hermione huffed as she refolded the _Prophet_ and placed it beside her plate, glaring at it like it had offended her.

"Hey Harry, what did your dad say about teaching for the Duelling Club?" Ron asked as he mixed his eggs, bacon, and potatoes together it a gooey mess that made Hermione grimace.

"Must you mix everything on your plate like that, Ron? If it were meant to all be together, the house elves would have just made a scramble," Hermione said, making sure nothing on her plate touched. If Ron was going to extremes, Hermione was definitely on opposite sides of the scale.

Harry just rolled his eyes as his friends continued to bicker about food and the separation of certain dishes. "My dad asked me to teach the Advanced group so that he and Moony can focus on the people who need more help."

Hermione and Ron stopped fighting instantly to stare at Harry. Hermione recovered first, smiling widely at her dark-haired friend. "Oh Harry, that's wonderful!"

"He asked you to teach? So, you didn't suggest it yourself?" Ron asked with an incredulous expression.

Harry shrugged as he took a bite of bacon and washed it down with some pumpkin juice. "I mentioned the D.A. and the idea of me teaching, and he said he had actually been meaning to ask me if I would be willing to teach the Advanced group. It was his idea first, apparently."

"That's awfully...well, shocking, coming from Snape. He trusts you that much?" Ron asked, Hermione glaring at him from beside Harry.

"He said he trusts my abilities and has every faith in me. I was quite surprised by it as well but...I agreed to do it." Harry chuckled as Ron pumped his fist into the air in celebration, causing Hermione to roll her eyes.

"See, now I can't _wait_ for the next meeting!" Ron said excitedly, nearly knocking over the pitcher of pumpkin juice in his enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said exasperatedly, shaking his head in amusement as Hermione stared at the redhead with a complete look of bemusement.

The bell rang for first class, and Harry held back to wait for Draco as Hermione and Ron went ahead to Potions, bickering quietly together the whole way. Harry was surprised to see his father making his way towards him as well.

"Harry, I wanted to talk to you about your nightmare last night," the Potions Master said in a quiet voice as students passed him by.

Harry scowled darkly. "Remus has a big mouth."

Severus gave his son a reproving look as he motioned for Harry and Draco to walk with him to his classroom. "He was only worried about you, and besides; I asked him what had happened anyways. Now, you're absolutely sure it was only a nightmare and not a vision?"

"Yes. My scar _always_ hurts after seeing something through Voldemort's mind. Plus, this nightmare didn't really concern Him at all."

Severus looked sceptical, but nodded his understanding anyways. "I want to know if you continue having nightmares, especially the same nightmare, alright? Taking some Dreamless Sleep might be a good idea if they start plaguing you like they're wont to do."

Harry sighed as they made it to the Potions classroom. "Yeah, alright. Thanks, Dad."

As they set up their cauldrons and set out their ingredients, Draco leaned over to whisper to Harry.

"What was that about nightmares and visions, Harry?"

Harry sighed, not wanting to explain that to his boyfriend. He was terrified that Draco would think he was insane and leave him when he found out the truth. "I just had a nightmare last night. Last year...it's really complicated, Draco."

"I'm pretty intelligent, I'm sure I can figure it out," the blonde said with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you remember what I told you this summer before you started teaching me Occlumency? About the connection between Voldemort and I, and his ability to implant false memories? My dad's afraid that's happening again, but it feels different. I learned the hard way to tell the difference between dreams and reality, and I've been blocking my mind religiously," Harry said firmly, absolutely positive that the dream had been nothing but just that; a _dream_.

"Well, Severus is just worried about you, is all. He's right though, Harry. If you keep having that dream, you need to tell him right away," Draco encouraged his boyfriend, turning his attention over to his potions book.

"I know. I will, I promise."

S~S~S~S

_Hot breath, sharp claws, the stench of stale sweat and the tang of blood filled Harry's nostrils until he felt faint and ill. He turned this way and that to try to figure out where it was all coming from, but he still couldn't see._

_As he looked around, even without his glasses, he could see shadows moving closer. He couldn't tell what they were, but they were making chittering noises that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He heard a rustling from behind him and scrambled to his feet, reaching for his wand again and clenching his fists in frustration when he didn't find it. He squinted as hard as he could, but between the darkness, the rain, and his lack of glasses, he couldn't see anything. _

_He felt his heart jump into his throat as the leaves of the bush he was staring at suddenly parted, and a pair of gleaming eyes moved forward. Harry quickly backed away, only to trip over a root that was sticking up. He scrambled back in an odd crab-walk on his hands and bum. Blind or not, Harry could not mistake that smell and that rough, gravely laugh. Fenrir Greyback was there, naught ten feet away from him. He threw his arms over his face in a weak attempt to protect himself, unable to keep a whimper from escaping him._

"_We meet again, Potter..."_

"Harry..._Harry!_ Get up or you're going to be late for Charms."

His breath coming in sharp gasps, Harry grabbed blindly for his glasses, shoving them onto his nose when he found them. He looked around and saw his father standing in the doorway giving him a very calculating look.

"You had the dream again."

Harry knew it wasn't a question, but he nodded anyways. "Yeah..."

After he was dressed and had his books stuffed haphazardly in his book bag, Harry was waylaid at the door by the Potions Professor once more. He was holding up a bottle of light blue potion, his face as expressionless as ever.

"You will take a dose of Dreamless Sleep tonight. If you have the dream again, it will be painfully obvious that it is not, in fact, a dream at all, and then we will have much bigger problems to deal with. Do you understand?"

Harry sighed and nodded, taking the small vial of potion and slipping it into the pocket of his robes. He didn't particularly like the dreams, but he could feel that familiar curiosity that had lured him in just like the plain black door. That feeling alone terrified him, and he willing agreed to take the Dreamless Sleep if it would make the bothersome dreams go away.

That night, Harry took a dose of Dreamless Sleep before bed like instructed. The potion was not tampered with, and it could be trusted one hundred percent, as Severus had made it with his own two hands. That night, Harry had the dream _again_.

"Should we perhaps tell the Headmaster about these dreams, Severus?" Remus asked as he climbed back into bed after making sure Harry was asleep once more in his bed.

The Potions Master looked lost in thought as he leaned against the headboard, stroking his chin as he stared at something off in the distance. "The Headmaster is busy, I'm sure. The last time Harry was having these issues, Dumbledore didn't do anything about it."

"He tried. You were supposed to teach him Occlumency, Severus."

"Yes, thank you, I had actually forgotten about that," Severus snapped sarcastically as he glared at the Defence Professor. "These dreams must be something different, Remus. He's Occluding. I tested him three times today; his shields are strong. Dreamless Sleep was not enough to keep it away. It's something different, something Harry hasn't encountered before."

Remus sighed as he snuffed out the candle on his bedside table and turned on his side to face his bond mate. "Why don't you just sleep on it and we'll figure this out in the morning, yes?"

"I cannot sleep while my son is being tortured in his sleep by something clearly Dark in nature. I need to see the dream, I need to know what he's seeing, what makes it different," The Potions Professor went on, as if he was checking things off of a list in his head.

"Severus, really – "

Remus watched as the dark haired man stood up and pulled on his dressing gown, closing the door a little too firmly on his way out. He was positive the man would be entering their son's bedroom to look over the Gryffindor, and his heart ached with the knowledge of it.

S~S~S~S

"Harry, I need to see the dream."

Harry pulled the cup of tea that he was about to sip from away from his lips, groaning audibly. He had just finished an essay for Charms and was hoping to be able to relax for a bit before heading to bed. Apparently it was not his night for relaxing. "Do you mean viewing it in a pensieve or just Legilimizing me?"

"It will be much easier to view in a pensieve, if you are open to that?" the Potions Master said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Do I have choice?" Harry asked hopefully. He got his answer in the intense glare his father shot at him. "Alright, alright. Fine, you can see it."

"We'll wait until tomorrow since it is so late already. I daresay you'll be having the dream again."

"Goodnight, Dad," Harry said with a wide yawn as he stood up from his spot on the sofa and made to go to his room.

Severus sighed heavily and stood up, patting his son gently on the shoulder. "Try to get some sleep. Come to me if you need me, no matter what time it is, alright? Goodnight."

Harry woke up at around three in the morning after having the dream, this time a little more vividly. It took him much longer to get his breathing under control and to get the sense of fear to leave him, and wasn't surprised when his father came in, sat on the edge of his bed and handed him a calming draught.

"Perhaps you shouldn't attend classes tomorrow. It's clear you're not getting any sleep, and there's apparently nothing I can do to remedy that right now. Do you think you can sleep the rest of the night?"

Harry had been unable to go back to sleep the last time he had the dream, and after experiencing such a vivid version of it, he was almost sure he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. "I can try..."

"A night of Wizard's chess it is," Severus said with a warm smile as he summoned the chess set and began to set it up on the bed between them. He only got so far before the board was squashed by Harry leaning over it to nearly strangle him in a hug.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Harry. Now prepare to be put to shame," Severus said with a devilish smirk.

S~S~S~S

Harry had indeed spent all day at home, Draco coming in to check on him during every passing period, free period, lunch and dinner. Harry had played enough Wizard's chess the night before that he never wanted to touch the game again. He was so tired, but he knew if he slept, he'd have the dream again. He waited patiently for his dad to come home and watch the dream in his pensieve, hoping he would have an answer for him.

Severus entered Harry's room with a medium sized black box tucked underneath his arm. Draco followed along and flopped down on Harry's bed beside him, snuggling up to his side like a cat. Remus wasn't far behind, bringing hot chocolate and biscuits with him.

"You should be bed ridden more often, Harry. Remus never lets me eat his chocolate biscuits," Severus joked, earning a glare from the werewolf and chuckles from the boys.

"Careful now, or I won't let you eat _any_ biscuits, chocolate or otherwise..." Remus drawled, smirking as Harry and Draco 'ooh'ed and Severus blushed.

"Quiet, you," the Potions Professor grumbled as he sat the box down on the bed, carefully lifting the lid to reveal a small glass orb that looked all too much like the crystal balls they used in Divination.

"This is called a Dream Orb. It will be connected to your subconscious while you sleep and record your dreams. It will glow blue when there is a dream recorded, red when there is an absence of dreams. I will give you the courtesy of viewing the dreams first, just as a precaution, but know that the dreams can only be viewed three times before they start to diminish and vanish completely."

Harry blushed at the implications of viewing his dreams first, but nodded as he took the small orb from his father and examined the glass sphere. It felt surprisingly warm in his hand, and almost seemed like it was pulsing.

"How will it be connected to me?"

Severus pulled out his wand, taking a piece of parchment from inside the box in which the Dream Orb had been contained. There was a little wooden stand for the orb to sit on, which the Potions Master placed on Harry's bedside table. "There's a spell that has to be performed. Once it is connected to you, the Dream Orb will belong to you forever, and will only ever record your dreams."

Draco took the orb gently out of Harry's hands, rolling it around in his palms as he stared at his upside-down reflection in the shining glass. "Where'd you find this, Sev?"

"I had a conversation with a colleague regarding dreams and the best way to view someone else's. He explained that viewing somebody else's dream in a pensieve is not the best way because perceptions can actually change details and warp the original dream. The Dream Orb will record the dream as it is originally seen. That's why it can only be viewed three times before it will fade, because outside perceptions can change dreams."

"I really didn't pay enough attention in Divination," Harry said with a frown, accepting the sphere back from Draco and placing it carefully on the stand.

"Divination is a shoddy subject at best, but there are a very few who actually possess the gift of Second Sight. It is an inborn skill, not a learned one," Severus assured his son. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small vial of purple potion, handing it to Harry.

"It is not Dreamless Sleep, but a simple sleeping draught that will help you fall asleep. It is habit forming if used excessively, so do not get used to it, alright? We will find another solution if these dreams do not quit on their own."

Harry nodded as he popped open the vial and knocked back the violet liquid, burrowing down into his pillows and blankets. He smiled as Draco kissed him gently on the forehead before heading to bed himself. Just as his vision was starting to fade and sleep began to take over, Harry saw his parents share a worried look, but he thought of it no more as the darkness took him.

S~S~S~S

When Harry woke up the next morning, he realized that he had not been woken by the dream the previous night, but the Dream Orb was indeed glowing blue. His father had been right about that sleeping draught. He pulled the parchment that described how to view the dreams encased in the Orb close to him and read it once more, lifting his wand to tap the sphere and muttering the charm that would project the dream onto the wall. He was glad it wasn't like a pensieve and sucked you inside of it.

It was the dream about the forest again, and there were even more details than before. He felt the fear grip him just as it did in the dream, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as his bedroom door opened. The dream ended just as his father looked upon the projected image.

"Was that it, was that the dream?" Severus asked as he moved to sit beside the Gryffindor. He waited for his son's nod of confirmation before tapping the sphere with his wand, projecting the dream once more.

Harry gasped just before the dream ended, reaching for the orb again to play the dream once more, but Severus caught his wrist before he could touch it.

"What is it, Harry? What did you see?"

"At the end, when Greyback was talking. He'd only ever said the part about meeting again, but just as it cut out it looked like he said something else. Play it again," Harry insisted, his stomach in knots as he tried not to envision what he saw on the werewolf's lips just as the image faded.

"I'm not so sure the image will be as clear the last time we play it. Let me get Remus, he'll want to see."

Harry began to protest, but clamped his mouth shut as he father gave him a stern look and left the room to fetch the Defence Professor. He hoped that the dream had not faded too much, and that he'd not imagined what he saw.

When Severus and Remus returned, they played the dream for the third and final time. At the end, just where Harry had gasped before, Severus used some spell to pause it as if it were a Muggle VHS.

"What does he say every time, Harry? Just so we know what's different," Severus asked, his wand still trained on the orb as he gazed at his son with a calculating look.

"The first time he didn't say anything. The second time he said 'We meet again, Potter'. This time, though, I swear he said something else. Play it," Harry urged again.

Severus took a deep breath and gave his wand a flick, un-pausing the dream.

"_We meet again, Potter. Where's dear old dad now?"_

The dream ended, and the Orb glowed red for a second as the dream faded away completely. There was complete silence in the room until Remus broke it with a snort. "It's bound to have been in the papers by now that you've been adopted, Harry."

"But what would Greyback want with Dad?" Harry insisted, watching as the last swirling mists of the dream faded off into nothingness, leaving the glass orb clear once more.

Severus shook his head slowly as he sat down on the bed beside his son. "I don't think it's me he wants," he said, giving Remus a significant look. "We need to find a way to keep these dreams at bay, and figure out how they started in the first place."

"Do you think it's Voldemort?" Harry asked in a small voice, feeling completely lost. It didn't feel like a vision, his scar never hurt afterwards, and Occluding didn't do anything to prevent the dreams from coming. Even Dreamless Sleep was ineffective, proving that it wasn't actually a dream after all.

"I don't know, Harry, but I will find out."

S~S~S~S

A week later and they were no closer to finding the answers to what these 'dreams' of Harry's were, or how and why they started. Severus had done plenty of research, but yet it was fruitless. All things led to the same conclusion; the dream was not technically a dream. If that were the case, then it had to be a vision, but that didn't make sense either. If Harry was seeing another false memory, that had to mean that Voldemort had somehow broken through his Occlumency shields. But that didn't seem likely either, as Harry's scar never twinged one bit.

The sleeping draughts were brewed at a lower concentration so that Harry could take them for longer periods of time without growing dependent. After three days, Severus started to wean him off of them completely, but the dreams continued, and Harry slept even less.

"_Please_, Dad. I have a test in Transfiguration tomorrow and I _need_ to sleep," Harry begged, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes as if to get his point across.

"I told you, Harry, that the minute you started to depend on these potions for sleep that they would stop. These become very dangerous, almost to the point where you'll be dependent for life. You do not want that, Son. I'm sorry, but you'll have to try to sleep the best you can without it. I'm working on a formula for a draught that isn't habit forming, but it will take time," Severus explained, checking all of the drawers in Harry's desk and nightstand to make sure they did not contain any more of the purple sleeping draughts.

"I'm not hiding anything. Why would I ask you for one if I had one already?" Harry snapped, slamming the drawer of his nightstand closed almost on the Potions Master's hand.

Severus glared at the Gryffindor as he snatched his hand away from the drawer, pointing towards Harry's bed with a sharp jab.

"Bed, _now_. I know you're frustrated and tired, but that does not give you the right to talk to me that way, young man. We're trying to figure things out, but taking that potion is not an option anymore. Do you understand me?"

"But – "

"_Do you understand?_"

"_Perfectly!_" Harry snapped again, stomping over to his bed and flopping onto it, curling himself up in his blankets and ignoring his father as he snuffed out his candle with a heavy sigh.

"Goodnight, Harry." Severus didn't wait long for a response, as he knew he wouldn't be getting one. He closed the door carefully behind him and returned to the sitting room to finish marking papers before he turned in for the night.

S~S~S~S

"Harry, are you still awake?" Severus asked incredulously through his son's closed bedroom door. He could see a faint light underneath the door as if there was a candle lit. However, he knew he had snuffed the candle before he left his son alone mere hours before. Perhaps Harry had just lit one to read by due to his lack of ability to sleep properly.

After nearly a minute with no response, Severus figured that Harry had fallen asleep with a candle still lit. Not wanting to wake up to a burnt down castle, he opened the door to snuff out the candle as quickly and quietly as he could.

Two things became immediately apparent as Severus entered his son's room; the glow he had seen was not coming from a candle, but from the dream orb he had given Harry, and his son was not in his bed at all. Severus knocked on the bathroom door – nothing. He checked the lab, his and Remus' bedroom and bathroom, the sitting room (even though he had been sitting in it himself), and even went and woke Draco up, who had no idea where the Gryffindor was. Harry was missing.

"Severus?" Remus asked as he wrapped his dressing gown over his bare chest. He was blurry-eyed from just waking up.

"I can't find Harry. He was in his room all night, and now he's not there," Severus said, trying not to panic as he thought of all the places his son could be. What worried him the most was the fact that he had not witnessed his son leaving his room or their quarters. Had he been that engrossed in grading, or was it something else entirely?

"You're absolutely sure he was in his room, Severus?"

"I'm positive, Remus. I talked to him about the sleeping draughts, and he went to bed around half-nine. I've been sitting out there marking papers since then; I would have seen him leave. Something isn't right, Remus. I can feel it," Severus said in a pleading tone, trying extremely hard now not to go into a panic.

Remus' expression steadily took on a more worried form. He took a second to think before grasping Severus' hand in his own. "I think we need to inform the Headmaster that he's missing."

The Potions Master and the Defence Professor flooed straight into the Headmaster's office, and were surprised to find the elderly wizard still awake.

"Severus, Remus; to what do I owe this late and rare pleasure?" the wizened old man asked, his blue eyes twinkling as ever.

"Harry is missing, Albus. I watched him enter his room to retire for the night, and then proceeded to mark essays in the sitting room until the time I realized he was gone. There's no way he could have gotten passed me without my noticing."

"Oh but there is, my dear boy. Harry possesses an invisibility cloak, does he not? He is quite infamous for using it to get himself into various levels of mischief, amongst other things," the Headmaster said with a light shrug.

Severus took a deep, cleansing breath to calm himself before speaking once more, lest he snap at Dumbledore out of irritation. "I had a clear view of both Harry's bedroom door and the door leading out of our quarters. Unless my son has acquired the ability to walk through walls as well, he did not utilize the cloak this time."

"You're absolutely sure that there was no possibility of you not noticing if either of the doors slipped open, even for a moment, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, the twinkle in his eyes dimming just so as his voice turned stern.

"I am never oblivious to my surroundings, Albus. I am simply too paranoid not to notice if doors started opening and closing seemingly on their own," Severus snapped, his patience quickly wearing thin. The longer they stood and discussed things, the further away his son could be.

"That makes it also true, then, that you would have noticed somebody else entering your quarters, so abduction seems unlikely," the Headmaster mused, stroking his long beard slowly in thought.

"I would not rule out abduction, Professor. We must not forget our enemy has been very resourceful in the past. There was no disturbance in the castle's wards? If he is outside of the castle, the wards would have set off an alarm to notify staff that a student was out on the grounds," said Remus, gently grasping Severus' arm to help keep his bond mate calm in the face of panic.

"There is one weak spot in the wards that I discovered just today by catching a student there. The Astronomy Tower is set as part of the internal castle wards, but it does technically lead outside. If one were to carry a broomstick with them, it would be fairly easy to leave the castle's protection."

"Albus, my concern at the moment is not _how_ Harry could have left or been taken. My concern is finding my son as soon as possible. Raise the alarm, or I will go to every staff member and do it myself," Severus warned, crossing his arms over his chest, masking how bad his hands had begun to shake.

The Headmaster nodded slowly, looking behind Severus and Remus. He lifted a hand, the one that wasn't black and decayed, and snapped his fingers. Fawkes rose from his perch and flew over in two quick flaps of his large gold and scarlet wings. "I would like you to raise the alarm please, Fawkes. Two flashes for a missing student."

The large Phoenix crooned a high pitched sound, a bright flash flaring twice as he vanished.

"The search will begin within the castle, then progress to the grounds. If the search within the castle is fruitless, I will call the Aurors in," Dumbledore said quietly in explanation.

"I want the forest searched right away. Harry's recurring dream took place in the forest. I have a bad feeling that, once again, Harry's nightmares are coming true," Severus said, taking as much comfort as he could in Remus' hand trailing up and down his back.

"I'll go with you – "

"No," Severus snapped, giving his husband an apologetic look as the man raised an eyebrow at him. "In his dream, I'm almost sure you were the one being targeted, not me. Help with the search within the castle."

"Severus, I – "

"No, Remus! I do not want you out there. Please, just stay in the castle. I'm sure Draco will be panicking when he realizes the alarm has been raised. Take him to search the castle with you."

Remus looked torn between worry and anger at being told that he couldn't search for Harry in the most likely place the boy could be. "He is my son too, Severus."

"Yes, Remus, he is, but you are my husband and I want you safe inside the castle. You will recall another man who did not listen to the same advice from you, and it cost him his life?" Severus thought that perhaps reminding Remus of his dead ex-lover was a low blow, but if it made the werewolf stay safely in the castle, then it was worth it.

Remus had began to protest, but his jaw snapped shut with an audible clack as he remembered the utter panic he felt when Sirius insisted he go to the Ministry. If that was how Severus felt, he knew he couldn't join the search in the forest. Nobody deserved to feel so helpless.

"Alright, I'll take Draco to search the castle," said Remus. He was surprised by the amount of relief shining in his bond mate's eyes. He pulled the Potions Master close, kissing him firmly on the lips. "Be careful, Severus. I'll not lose you, too."

Severus gently brushed Remus' hair out of his eyes, placing another chaste kiss on the man's lips. "You won't. Keep Draco in the castle, even if you have to tie him down."

Remus nodded, hugging Severus close to him for a few seconds. "I love you."

"I love you too." Severus watched as Remus left the Headmaster's office, hopefully heading down to the dungeons to collect Draco, where he was supposed to be.

"Will you not call the Aurors and put them on stand-by so that they may be ready if we need them?"

"Already done, Severus. Fawkes raised the alarm with the Order as well. Kingsley and Tonks will know by now," the Headmaster said with a short nod.

"Thank you, Albus. Will you be joining the search within the castle, or out on the grounds?" The Potions Professor asked, eager to get on with his search already.

"Forgive me, Severus, but my reflexes are not what they used to be. I fear I would be more harmful than helpful with the search out on the grounds," Albus said quietly, flicking his sleeve back so that his black and decaying hand was more visible. The black now stretched halfway up his pallid arm.

"Albus, it is spreading," Severus said in shock, moving forward as if to grasp the Headmaster's arm.

"Yes, but that is not your problem to be concerned about at the moment. Go find your son, Severus."

The Potions Master was shocked to discover that his worry for the Headmaster had momentarily eclipsed that for his son. Manipulative and secretive as Albus was, Severus still felt for him like a son would feel for their father. He gave a curt nod before leaving the Head's office, heading down to the Entrance Hall to meet the other staff members.

S~S~S~S

"Professor Lupin? What in Merlin's name is going on? Severus woke me up half an hour ago and asked me if I'd seen Harry. It's past three in the morning, why would I have seen anyone, let alone Harry?" Draco asked with an incredulous expression as Remus led him into the Potions Master's main quarters.

Remus paused and turned towards the young Slytherin, taking a deep breath as he prepared for panic to reign. "Draco, Harry has seemingly gone missing at some point. The alarm has been raised and a castle and grounds-wide search has begun. I need you to stay calm, and stay with me, alright? I may have a way of finding out exactly where Harry is."

Draco's face drained completely of colour as he swayed where he stood. He was glad for the Defence Professor's quick reflexes as he was saved from falling to the floor by the man's strong arms.

"Come now, Draco. Stay with me. You cannot help if you are unconscious."

Draco shook his head to clear the fog of worry that had taken over his brain, still clutching tightly to the werewolf's arms as he righted himself and got his emotions under control. Harry was missing. Harry was gone. Harry had been taken. Harry could be dead for all he knew. He swayed again.

"Dear Merlin, do Slytherin's always faint in the face of panic? Sit down, take some deep breaths and try to get a hold of yourself. I'll be right back. _Do not move_," Remus instructed the blonde as he led him over to the sofa and deposited him onto the cushions. As soon as he was sure Draco would not go into anaphylactic shock, Remus made straight for Harry's room and his school trunk. He opened it and began rummaging around, looking for a very specific, aged packet of parchment. He made a noise of discovery as he uncovered the map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Remus muttered as he touched his wand to the yellowing parchment. He watched impatiently as the ink spread and flowed, creating a detailed map of Hogwarts castle and it's grounds.

His eyes began skimming everywhere, checking in even the most unlikely of places. Even as he searched he could see half of the dots labelled with professor's names exiting the castle to search the grounds, and the other half spreading out to search the castle. He skimmed the entire grounds twice, four times, ten times, and still he could not find a dot labelled Harry Potter. Another skim of the castle came up fruitless as well. A deep sense of panic stole over Remus as the possibility of Harry being somewhere else entirely seized him, making him feel quite faint as well. He needed to get the map to Dumbledore or Severus, lest they waste their time searching Hogwarts when it was apparent that Harry was not there at all, inside or outside of the castle.

"Draco, we need to – "

The words died on Remus' lips as he looked up from the map upon entering the sitting room, only to find it abandoned, Draco nowhere to be found. "Shite!" He unfolded the map once more, skimming the dungeons to locate the Slytherin. He couldn't have gotten that far, right? Upon discovering that Draco was not in the dungeons at all, Remus decided he had a duty to his own son at the moment, and his concern needed to be getting the map to Severus or the Headmaster as soon as possible.

S~S~S~S

Harry was freezing. He was sure he had covered up pretty well before he fell asleep, but there even seemed to be a frigid _breeze_. All at once, Harry realized that something was terribly wrong. He slept in the dungeons, there _were_ no breezes down there, and his room had never smelt like damp earth before. His eyes flashed open as his stomach plummeted; he was in the Forbidden Forest, and this time, it wasn't a dream.

"He's awake!"

Harry jumped at the sudden shout and looked around in panic. It was too dark to see who had shouted, and he was near blind without his glasses. He shuddered as he felt a cold hand grasp his wrist, too tight, and yanked him to his feet. The crazy mess of hair and tinkling laugh that sent chills up his spine told him exactly who had a hold of him.

"Little baby Potter is growing up, aint he. So _handsome_..." Bellatrix leaned closer to her prey, taking a deep sniff, her nose trailing from Harry's collar bone, up his jaw and cheek and into his hair.

"Get away from me!" Harry snapped, trying to pull his wrist out of her firm grasp and searching his pockets with his other hand for his wand. It wasn't there. He had expected that, but it didn't make the shock and renewed panic any easier to handle.

Bellatrix's leer began to turn into a sneer, and she tightened her grip on Harry's wrist, surely leaving bruises. "Now, now, Harry; there's no need to be so disrespectful. Your father would be so disappointed to hear how much of a brat you're being to poor little Bella," she pouted overdramatically.

Harry felt the bile rise in his throat, hoping that the insane Death Eater was referring to his dead birth father, not his adoptive father or Remus. If they knew, they would go after Severus and Remus. They had figured it would get out soon enough, what with the junior Death Eaters in Slytherin reporting back to their parents about everything at the school. They never thought the Death Eaters would be able to enter the castle, however. Harry paused at that thought. How on earth did he get from his bed to the forest floor without waking up at all?

His musing was interrupted by a horrible smell coming from behind him, and he cringed as he felt a rough hand with sharp claws digging into his shoulder. "Frankly, I'm surprised that your new daddy isn't here yet. Surely he smelt us coming. He's probably sniffing you out now," Fenrir hissed, his hot and putrid breath wafting over his cheeks and making him gag.

"Fuck you," Harry spat, really confused now. He wasn't going to let them see his confusion, however. He needed to stall, to distract them. He had no idea what he was going to do, but the more time he stalled, the more time he had to figure out a plan.

Harry gasped as Bellatrix's palm made stark contact with his cheek. The bitingly cold air made the slap sting that much more, but Harry just grit his teeth and turned his face away from the werewolf, who had circled around to face him.

"Patience, Bellatrix! You heard our orders; kill the wolf and bring the boy," Greyback growled, literally. Harry's eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, and he could make out the scraggly, hunched over shape of the werewolf, and the petite, slender form of the evilest of the Black sisters.

Bellatrix pouted and drug a long, sharp nail across Harry's cheek, drawing blood as she dug her nail in. "Our Lord never said anything about not harming him, though. What's a little blood, eh? His blood is no longer a safe-haven for him. The only person who shares his blood now is our Master himself," Bellatrix cackled, slashing Harry's other cheek with her nail as well.

The half-man, half-wolf surged forward and ripped Bella's hand away from Harry, though her other hand still held firmly and painfully to his wrist. "We do not know how the wards will react to him being harmed! You can take out your masochistic pleasure after our Lord kills him, I'm sure. I might even let you play with the wolf a little, if you stop antagonizing the boy!"

"Hypocrite," Bellatrix snapped, though a very unpleasant smile stretched across her face, transforming what was once beautiful into something deformed and hideous.

"What are you waiting for? Why haven't you just taken me to old Snake Face already?" Harry asked with a sneer, hoping to anger Bellatrix with his slur on Voldemort. If she hurt him again, they would argue amongst themselves once more, giving him more time. Hopefully he would be able to get some answers as well.

He knew they must be talking about Remus, but he didn't understand why they were talking about the wards. Only Severus was connected to the wards; killing Remus wouldn't affect them at all.

And then he finally understood, though he was still confused on some details. They thought that _Remus_ had adopted him, and that he was bonded to Remus for the wards. Wouldn't they know better, though? Greyback was a werewolf himself, he had to know the Umbridge Laws prevented Remus from adopting him. Things weren't adding up, but Harry was more concerned about getting away from the Death Eaters and making sure Remus stayed far away from them as well.

Harry's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as every cell in his body exploded in sharp, hot pain. He screamed as his knees gave out and he fell to the ground, curling in on himself in an attempt to stop the pain.

"How dare you talk that way about my Master? He is more of a man than you'll ever be, bitty baby Potter!" Bellatrix shrieked as she pushed more and more force into her Cruciatus curse. Her eyes were blazing, and her hair practically crackled with the amount of magic she was pouring into her wand.

A lot happened all at once, and Harry couldn't have been sure what had happened first, as he had been curled up on the forest floor with his eyes clenched shut and his ears pounding with the sound of his own blood. He felt the curse lift and lay there limp for a few seconds to try to recover. In that time, he realized it was much too quiet. Harry blinked open his eyes and sat up slowly, gasping when he saw the form of someone with long blonde hair kneeling beside him, holding out what he originally thought was a wand, but was actually...his glasses?

Harry snatched his glasses up and shoved them onto his nose, glad to finally be able to see his attackers. He recognized Lucius Malfoy immediately, and tried to stand up so he could run. He had no idea what the man was playing at by giving him his glasses, but he certainly wasn't going to stick around to have a little chat and find out. As he looked around him, the benefit of sight a Godsend now, Harry saw Bellatrix and Greyback stunned and tied up in so many ropes and chains, he was sure they weren't breathing.

"They won't be getting away, Mr. Potter," a rich voice said from behind Harry, making the teen whirl around to defend himself, though he didn't think fist fighting was going to be the best method of getting away from one of the most infamous Death Eaters there was.

Lucius Malfoy hardly looked like an escaped convict, except perhaps for some weight loss. His robes were still crisp and graceful, and his blonde hair – so like Draco's that Harry shuddered – was shining and luscious as ever. His piercing gray eyes narrowed as Harry took a step back, but he didn't make any moves towards him.

"Why did you stun them? So you can get all the glory from your Master when you take me to him?" Harry egged on, having lost any ideas for escape that he might have had before.

He was wandless in the middle of a forest with three Death Eaters, given that two of them were indisposed, but that wasn't the biggest problem. This man was his boyfriend's father, someone he knew that Draco loved, despite all of the things the man had done. If something were to happen to the older Malfoy, Harry wouldn't lose any sleep over it, but Draco would be devastated. As little as he wanted to admit it, Harry knew he had to make sure that, whatever happened, Lucius Malfoy would make it out alive.

Soft laughter escaped the tall, lean man, disconcerting Harry even further. Lucius spread his arms out, displaying that he wasn't aiming his wand at the Gryffindor. In fact, he didn't have his wand out at all. "You're very far off the mark, Potter; though I don't blame you for your attitude, given all of our prior encounters."

Harry felt his blood boil as he remembered the last time he saw Lucius Malfoy in the flesh. It was the last time he had seen his godfather alive as well. "Forgive me for assuming that our next destination would be a visit with old Voldemort. You see, usually when I'm surrounded by Death Eaters, Tom comes along eventually."

"You're much feistier, I must say. Less dumb bravery and more spice. It must be my son's influence on you," said Lucius, a cross between a smile and sneer gracing his aristocratic face. He reached into his robes slowly, lifting the edge to show Harry that he wasn't reaching for a wand, but something that looked like a packet of parchment. It unfurled as he held it out, and Harry blushed as he recognized the issue of the _Daily Prophet_ starring him and Draco during a quite private moment.

"Right, so you're just here to kill me yourself, then. I get it," Harry said as he ran a hand nervously through his already dishevelled hair. Why hadn't he been stunned and tied up like the other two? And for that matter, why had Malfoy attacked his fellow Death Eaters?

"No, I do not plan on killing anyone tonight, or contributing to anyone's murder, either. What I want is to see my son, and I know that you, of all people, would be able to take me to him."

Harry snorted, knowing he was tempting fate but pretty much out of options at that point. "What makes you think I'm going to believe anything you say? And why would I lead you to Draco, when I don't trust you as far as I could throw you?"

There was a slight blush on the older man's cheeks as he glared at Harry, an obvious attempt at controlling his anger. "I stunned and bound two Death Eaters who were trying to kill your step-father and kidnap you. What else would you like as proof?"

"It could be a trap. I...wait – did you just say step-father?" Harry asked, his heart beat pounding so loudly in his ears that he was sure the elder Malfoy could hear it where he stood nearly ten feet away.

"Yes, I did. And this is not a trap. My wife was murdered because of me and my foolish decisions. I will not see my son suffer the same fate. Name your terms; what do you want in order for you to take me to see my son?"

"How do you know about Remus being my step-father? These two kept calling him my father," Harry pointed out, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as he started to become even more suspicious, if that was possible.

"That was my doing as well, Potter. I overheard the mission that the Dark Lord was sending them on; they were to kill _Snape_ and bring you back to Him. I had seen this paper already, and knew that you were close to my son. I confunded them and modified their memories," Lucius explained as he folded the _Prophet_ back up and placed it back into his inside pocket.

Harry began to get the feeling that he had missed a crucial step in a long puzzle, disorienting him as he tried to determine whether or not he should believe the older man. Something still didn't add up, however. "How did I get here from the castle?"

"Time-release portkey. You will recall about two weeks ago when a young man named Blaise Zabini happened to accidently run into you and knock your glasses off? When he picked them up to hand them back to you, he put a charm on them that would turn them into a portkey that would activate at a specific time. However, Mr. Zabini managed to bollix up the Latin, and instead caused you to have, I'm assuming, very vivid dreams about just this situation?"

Harry smacked his forehead, his cheeks burning in embarrassment and shame. He should have known better, especially after the Slytherin had threatened Draco. "Yeah, it gave me vivid dreams alright," Harry muttered.

He studied the older man's face carefully, trying to detect any dishonesty. He was frightened to feel pity for the man, seeing his son in him much more now than before. "My terms are this: I want your wand and a Wizard's Oath that if I lead you to Draco and the castle, where my family and friends are, you will not do anything to bring any harm to any of them. Do you agree?"

There was a long pause as they simply stared at each other. After what felt like years, the blonde haired man bent down and pulled his wand out of what looked like an ankle holster, holding it out to Harry, handle first. "I Vow to bring no harm to anyone residing in Hogwarts castle; staff, student, or otherwise."

Harry didn't have his wand to seal the Oath, but as soon as his hand touched the handle of the other man's wand, a bright light encased his hand and soaked into his skin, sealing the Oath with his magic instead. He gripped the wand tightly, stunned that Lucius Malfoy had willingly given up his wand to _him_, Harry Potter.

"What are you waiting for, Potter? We had an agreement," Lucius said after a nearly three full minutes of Harry just standing there, holding the elder Malfoy's wand so still that he could have been petrified.

"The Apocalypse. Surely it's coming soon," Harry answered in a monotone voice, shocked out of his reverie when Lucius began to laugh. It sounded almost carefree; relaxed. This could not be the same man that chased him around the Ministry, contributed to his godfather's death, and tried to kill him and his friends.

"You might want to hover them along with us, Potter. I'm sure you'd love to take the credit for putting them in Azkaban," Malfoy said, nodding his head at the two stunned and bound Death Eaters lying on the forest floor.

"You can have all the credit, Malfoy, I don't mind. I'm sure they'll be trying to make you join them. Just because I bring you with me, doesn't mean you're safe from prison yourself," Harry pointed out as he pointed Malfoy's wand at Bellatrix and Greyback and charmed them to hover behind them as they walked.

Lucius' steps paused as he turned back to look at Harry. "I know that, Potter. I said I wanted to see my son, not gain clemency."

Harry gave the blonde man a strange look, not sure if he was hearing things correctly. "You'd go back to Azkaban willingly?"

"It's what I deserve, and I know no amount of running from it will save me in the end. I've lost everything that I care about, Potter, except for my son. I wish to see him one last time. Is that too much to ask?"

Harry shook his head as they began walking towards the edge of the forest. "No...no, it's not."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh, I know I'm evil with my cliff hangers! Alas, you will have to wait until I finish another chapter or two for another update! Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long. Please review!


	35. Decay

**A/N: **Hey there, folks! Sorry for the long wait again, but I've been having a bit of a hard time getting through these chapters lately. I will admit that there is very little left to go of the first part of _Never Alone_! The second half, which I was going to create as a sequel, will instead be included as part of _Never Alone_. In a poll on my profile, half of those who have voted wanted it to all stay together, and I listened. If you did not vote when you had the chance, I'm sorry! I've already made up my mind. This way, the readers who have set _Never Alone_ to their alerts and favourites won't have to go search for a different story thread. Thanks for sticking with me through this! It's been a long time in coming, and there is still more yet! Enjoy!

**P.S.** I must give a shout-out to my muse, who has been a Godsend recently with helping me figure these last few chapters out. Her name is **Renee**, she's extremely intelligent and _beautiful_, and she's my bestest friend! Everyone be sure to thank her in your reviews, for without her, you'd still be waiting for chapter 34 lol.

* * *

**Ch 35.  
Decay**

After fifteen minutes of tripping over roots, being scratched by branches and bushes, and nearly breaking his neck by falling into various holes, Harry was glad to make it to the edge of the forest. The trees had thinned so much by then that he could see nearly all the way to the castle, which meant he could see the commotion taking place. There were quite a few people on the grounds, pin pricks of wand light exposing their locations as they moved around the dark grounds.

"You've got the whole world looking for you, it seems," Lucius Malfoy drawled as he pulled a few twigs and leaves from his hair in a careless manner. He had made it through the forest much more gracefully than Harry had managed.

"Of course. When 'The Chosen One' goes missing, there will be panic in spades. I'm not looking forward to the hugs of rib-cracking force I'm sure to receive from quite a few people," Harry said with a roll of his eyes, finally breaking through the edge of the forest.

"Be glad you have so many who care so deeply for you. Not everyone is so lucky," Lucius said quietly as he watched many in the search party turn towards the forest as they saw the light from his wand in Harry's hand.

"I am glad."

"Harry! Oh, thank Merlin."

Harry was nearly knocked backwards off of his feet as the Potions Master slammed into him, holding him so tightly to his chest that he could hardly breathe. He hugged the man back just as tightly before trying to squirm away.

"I'm alright, Dad."

Severus reacted so fast that Harry had to blink to make sure he hadn't just black out. The Potions Professor's wand was trained on Lucius Malfoy, sticking painfully into the man's neck as more Professors and a few Aurors joined them at the edge of the forest. The two bound Death Eaters were taken from Harry's care and detained further.

Harry quickly moved so that he stood between his father's wand and Malfoy. "No, Dad, it wasn't him. Bellatrix and Greyback were the ones who had me. Technically it was Blaise Zabini who set this all up and even caused my dreams. Lucius just wants to see Draco."

"Harry!" a voice shrieked into the night, making everyone jump.

Everyone turned to as a blonde and green blur came flying down from the castle ramparts, heading straight for Harry. People nearly didn't have time to duck or jump out of the way as Draco landed with a thud, throwing his broom haphazardly as he ran at Harry, giving the Gryffindor his second breath-taking hug of the night.

"I was so worried," Draco whispered, completely unaware of their surroundings as he placed a kiss firmly on Harry's lips. There was a thick silence as Lucius moved forward out of the shadows, causing Draco to draw closer to Harry as he gasped.

"Father?"

"Harry!"

Harry rolled his eyes as he was accosted by another hug, this one slightly awkward as Remus had to hug both him and Draco since the blonde was still firmly attached to him as he stared at his father.

"Harry, if you would be so kind as to explain everything that you can, it would be much appreciated," Dumbledore said as he stepped out of the crowd towards the shell-shocked group of people still standing at the edge of the forest.

Harry took a deep breath, preparing to launch into the story so he wouldn't have to keep repeating himself. "From what I understand, this started out as a mission from Voldemort for Blaise Zabini, Greyback, and Bellatrix. Blaise turned my glasses into a portkey that would take me to the forest, but he messed the charm up, causing me to dream about the details of the mission. Lucius heard about this mission, and knowing that I was close to Draco and might be able to get him in to talk to him, he confunded Greyback and Bellatrix and modified their memories.

"They were supposed to kill Severus and take me back to Voldemort, but Lucius changed things so that they thought Remus was the one keyed to the wards, and he followed them to the forest so he could get to me. He stunned and bound Greyback and Bellatrix, not me. He gave me his wand and a Wizard's Oath that he wouldn't harm anyone in exchange for me giving him a chance to speak with Draco one last time before he inevitably was sent back to Azkaban. Lucius isn't the one who should be blamed for this."

"How can you defend this man, Harry? He's part of the reason that Sirius is dead," Remus said viciously, not taking notice of how Severus stiffened beside him.

"He's part, yes. But there were lots of other people who were part of the reason as well. I'm part of the reason. Do you blame me, too?" Harry asked, giving Remus a pleading look.

Remus' shoulders slumped as he gently pat the Gryffindor's cheek. "Of course I don't blame you, Harry. Lucius belongs in Azkaban, regardless."

Lucius took another step forward, causing more wands to be pointed at him. He simply raised his chin and looked Remus in the eye. "I do not wish to escape being sent back to Azkaban, or else I would never have allowed myself to be brought to the castle, where I knew there were Aurors and Dumbledore himself. I simply want to talk to my son one last time, and then you can take me wherever you want. Give me the Kiss if that's what you desire."

"No!" Draco took a step toward his father, his eyes wide in panic. He took a deep breath and closed the distance between himself and his father, allowing the man to brush his hair back with a gentle smile.

"You're so tall now," Lucius whispered, being only a few inches taller than his young son.

Draco let the tears that had been burning at the back of his eyes fall, moving into his father's arms and hugging him tightly. There was a deafening silence as everyone just looked on, their wands still trained on the elder Malfoy.

Harry couldn't help but feel a strong surge of happiness for his boyfriend, despite the fact that the man Draco was hugging had tried to kill him multiple times. He turned towards his father, an earnest expression on his face. "I have both of you now, but Draco has no one. Let him have this, please," Harry pleaded with his father, who still looked ready to murder Lucius then and there.

"Nonsense. Draco has both of us as well, and he has you. We've given him _everything_," Severus snapped.

Harry smiled sadly at his father as he moved forward and pulled his wand arm down so that he was no longer aiming at the father-son embrace still taking place. "You know it's not the same. For me, I don't have James or Lily here anymore to be there for me. But for Draco, his father is still alive, just unattainable. That's like torture."

Severus sighed heavily as he let his wand arm relax, pulling Harry into another hug. "I'll never understand why you are so forgiving, Son."

"Because it's too hard to hold a grudge when you have every reason to let it go. If I wasn't so forgiving, we wouldn't have each other, either."

"Entirely too smart for your age..."

Lucius and Draco had separated now, but were still standing very close together. Everyone always said that Draco was a carbon copy of Lucius, but standing next to the elder Malfoy, the differences were noticeable. Draco had a slightly pointier chin, and more prominent cheek bones. His blonde hair was a shade darker than his father's, and his eyes were more silver than slate grey.

Draco began explaining everything that had happened since his father had been incarcerated; his mother's murder, his kidnapping and abuse, being taken in by Severus, the attack in Diagon Alley and his coma, being pulled out of the coma by Harry, falling in love with Harry...It went on and on, and Lucius' reactions to the long tale were quite a sight to see as he shed tears for his deceased wife and seethed with anger for his son's mistreatment.

"That horrible, _despicable_ creature...I promise you, Draco, I will never return to Him again," Lucius said in a harsh whisper.

"Then why not join the Order? Support Harry?" Draco asked desperately, clinging to the arm his father had wrapped around him.

"Draco, I may no longer support what the Dark Lord is doing, but I still believe in the principles behind his original cause. I cannot condone the extinction of our kind."

Harry moved forward towards Lucius, ignoring the way his father was trying to pull him back to him. "Extinction of our kind? Tell me, did you get to choose who your parents were? _No_. Neither did Hermione, a Muggle-born witch who's at the top of our class. She's brilliant, and her magical abilities far surpass many of the pure-blooded students at Hogwarts.

"The only way an extinction of our kind will occur is if we keep allowing Voldemort to kill everyone off! He doesn't even care if you're pure-blood anymore; he killed your wife, did he not? Voldemort is a half-blood himself! He doesn't have principles or plans anymore, he's just killing people. I'm sick of seeing my family and friends get killed, one by one, because of a ridiculous prejudice that no one can actually control. The original principles are faulty anyways; Hermione has done loads of research. More squibs are produced by pure-blooded couples then those of mixed blood status."

There was a long tense silence and the crowd gathered around waited for Lucius' reaction. Remus still had his wand trained on the blonde, as did many of the other teachers and all of the Aurors. Draco looked nervous, torn between his father and his boyfriend.

"Perhaps I am mistaken in my beliefs, but I cannot just change my thinking at the drop of a wand. I am willing to try, however. I will no longer support the Dark Lord, whatever," Lucius said with a nonchalant shrug, which was hard to pull off with so many wands pointed at his heart.

"Mr. Malfoy, may I propose a deal of sorts?" Dumbledore asked in a soft voice, making the crowd turn towards him. The blonde nodded, and the Headmaster continued.

"Perhaps we could make a trade; information for your freedom?" Dumbledore had been sharing a look with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who even though was Minister for Magic now, still had the title of Head Auror until a replacement was found.

Lucius looked stunned as he looked between his son and the Headmaster, not sure of what he was hearing. "The Ministry would be willing to make this deal?"

Kingsley stepped forward then, lowering his wand halfway, but still holding it at the ready. "I've discussed this with the Headmaster on a few previous occasions. If you can give us all the information you know of the Dark Lord's plans, then I think an order of clemency may be possible."

"I'll do it. I'll tell you everything," Lucius said quickly, his eyes wide. His hands shook as his son moved back towards him, placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. The elder Malfoy looked down at his son, excitement and fear in his expression. "Do you trust Potter?"

"With every fibre of my being, Father. I love him," Draco said firmly, turning to look at Harry, who smiled widely at him.

"Then perhaps I can learn to work with and support him as well."

Severus stepped forward, his expression thunderous. "I don't care what you think you can learn, Lucius, I do not trust you around my son."

"And yet, I've trusted you with my own son's life by naming you his godfather. Oh ye of little faith, Severus," Lucius drawled, reminding Harry of Draco far too much again.

"I've never tried to kill Draco or deliver him to the Dark Lord for torture, have I? I've done nothing but protect and treat him as my own, even when you _were_ around. I've been a better father to Draco than you _ever_ have," Severus snapped, ignoring the way Harry was pulling on his arm and Draco was frowning at him.

There was a tense silence as Lucius gazed at his son, and then the indignant Potions Master. "I do not deny that, Severus. I would like to make up for it, however."

"I don't think 'better late than never' is a feasible way to raise a child."

"Dad, please..." Harry said quietly, seeing the torn expression on Draco's face. He knew the blonde wanted to have his father back, but he also knew that Severus had been the one to take care of him for so long.

"Mr. Potter, may I ask that you please place my wand at the foot of the Headmaster," Lucius asked abruptly, making Harry forget he was trying to calm his father down.

Harry looked around, confused for a second before meeting Dumbledore's eyes. The wizened old man looked tired, but also extremely determined. He nodded very slightly. Harry walked over and placed Lucius' wand at the Headmaster's feet as he was asked, then watched as Lucius knelt down in front of the old man.

"I pledge my allegiances to you, Albus Dumbledore, and Vow to provide you with any and all information I may have concerning the war efforts. I will even subject myself to questioning under Veritaserum."

"Preposterous," Severus hissed, glaring at his husband as the werewolf took his hand and squeezed it lightly in his own.

"I think, perhaps, that it is time we all retire. It has been a long and trying night. Lucius, if you will follow me, we can make arrangements for you. Draco, I know you wish to stay with your father, but I must insist you stay in your own quarters tonight and get some rest. Thank you, Kingsley, for your timely assistance in this matter," the Headmaster said with a warm smile as he bent down and retrieved Lucius' wand for himself. He didn't hand it back to the blonde, however, but stowed it away in an inside pocket of his robes.

Harry waited as Draco said goodnight to his father, then joined him, Severus, and Remus as they made their way back to the castle and down into the dungeons. Harry felt himself relax considerably as Draco took his hand and walked closely beside him.

Once safely down in their quarters, Draco having followed them without any intentions of returning to his own to be alone, Severus added a few more warding spells to the door before he started pacing back and forth across the sitting room.

"I do not trust him at all, especially having him here in the castle with countless other children. He was almost completely successful with ending Ginny Weasley's life in this very castle not so long ago, and yet Albus is letting him _stay_ here!"

"Severus, please calm down," Remus urged softly, trying to pull the man close to him and stop his pacing. Severus was having none of it, however, and pulled his arm sharply out of the werewolf's grasp.

"How do you expect me to calm down when there is a mass murderer sleeping in the castle along with thousands of children, including my _son!_"

Remus sighed heavily and shook his head, throwing up his arms as if in defeat. "Stay up all night and fret then. I'm going to bed." With that, the Defence Professor moved down the hall and into the bedroom they shared, closing the door with a firm click.

"Go to bed, both of you," Severus said, pointing Harry towards his bedroom and Draco towards the door to their quarters.

"I was hoping you'd let me stay here tonight. I don't really feel comfortable sleeping alone..." said Draco, giving the Potions Professor a pleading look.

"Fine, sleep on the sofa."

"Dad..."

Draco sighed heavily, frowning at his godfather. "Nothing's going to happen, sir. I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Fine! You can sleep in Harry's room, but so help me I'll be checking in randomly to make sure you're both _sleeping_."

Draco smiled sadly and nodded. "Thank you, Sev." Once both Harry and Draco were changed, Draco wearing a pair of Harry's pyjama pants, they crawled into Harry's bed, snuggling up together immediately.

"He's just really stressed out right now, Draco. He'll come around," Harry assured the blonde, stroking his soft hair down. It felt good to be able to hold Draco like this, so warm and soft against his bare chest.

Draco yawned as he scooted even closer to Harry, wrapping his arms firmly around the Gryffindor. "I don't blame him, Harry. I'm so confused about my father right now..."

"Sleep, we'll worry about it in the morning, alright?" Harry whispered, kissing the top of Draco's head gently. The blonde looked up at him and smiled, leaning in for a deeper, much more satisfying kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too, now sleep."

S~S~S~S

The walk from the dungeons up to the Headmaster's office had never seemed so long before. Severus had so much on his mind that he was having a hard time concentrating on one thing at a time. He was still worried that Harry could be snatched so easily from under his nose again. He was on his way to discuss why and how the wards had been hoodwinked in allowing a magical object into their home that meant Harry harm. He had an idea that the logistics of the spell, and Zabini's mistake in casting, had quite a lot to do with it. Having his son taken away so easily, however, terrified him like he'd never been before. Harry was the world to him, but the panic he felt when he realized Harry was in danger far surpassed anything he had ever felt before, even when Remus had gone away on his mission.

Severus was antsy, especially with Lucius Malfoy in the castle at that very moment. He hadn't even been told where the man was _staying_ in the castle, which irked him even more, if he was quite honest. He didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him, and he was frankly bewildered as to why Dumbledore and Kingsley would agree to such a heinous plan. Perhaps it was because he had known the elder Malfoy for so much longer, but Severus doubted the Headmaster and Minister knew exactly what they were getting themselves into, good opportunity for information or not. Severus sighed heavily as he realized that, if it weren't for his blown cover as a spy, the Order wouldn't be quite so desperate for information. It was with a heavy hand that he knocked on the Headmaster's door.

"Enter, Severus."

The Headmaster was sitting behind his grand desk, as usual, his half-moon spectacles perched on his crooked nose as one gnarled hand gripped an elaborately feathered quill, the other lying quite useless beside the parchment on which he was writing. Severus was hit suddenly with the memory of the night before, seeing that the curse had spread. He felt irresponsibly foolish as he marched straight over to the desk and asked the wizened old man to roll up his sleeve.

"Really, Severus, there's nothing more to be done," Albus said quietly, even as he complied and rolled up the sleeve of his sparkling emerald robes. The black decay had spread from just above his wrist, to nearly past his crinkled elbow. Severus sucked in a deep breath as he trailed his wand along the length of the cursed appendage, his frown becoming more prominent as the results turned grimmer.

"Regardless of whether or not you _thought_ nothing could be done, Albus, you should have told me it had started to spread. What's more, even if something _can_ be done, it may be far too late now. Did you ever consider that?" Severus snapped, using his experienced fingers to test the elasticity and firmness of the decaying flesh. It was like burnt parchment wrapped around frail bone.

"As much faith as I have in your considerable Potions abilities, Severus, I know well enough when I've dug myself in too far. I did not feel the need to stress you out even more with this knowledge. No doubt you would have spent every waking moment looking for a solution, when I am quite positive there is none. It was my decision, my boy, and I stick to it," the Headmaster replied, his voice firm, yet still reassuring. It was beyond frustrating how the man could talk of his own impending death, and yet still make it sound like a pleasant conversation over tea.

The Potions Professor sighed as he did one last scan of the curse-ridden arm, and then moved to take the seat in front of the large oak desk. He rubbed a hand over his tired face, fixing his mentor with a mild glare. "Despite my telling you that you had a year, maybe less, when the curse had spread to no more than your wrist? Albus, you'll be lucky to get three, maybe four more months. If you had told me, there could have been _time_ to search for a solution, but now I fear there may not be. Do you want to die, Albus, is that it?"

The Headmaster smiled both sadly and warmly at the younger Wizard. It was a fond smile; one Severus knew plagued his own face when he thought of Harry. It made it that much harder to look at the old man. He felt a sense of impending doom, like he was about to suffocate, but nothing could stop it. He wondered vaguely if he was starting to hyperventilate.

"Of course I do not wish to die, my boy. I have lived a long and fruitful life, I must say, but that does not mean I am eager to start the next great adventure just yet. I know in my heart though, Severus, that your desperation to save me would put all other things out of your mind, and you have quite a lot to be getting on with as it is, without worrying about me on top of it all. Harry is your top priority now, and I would not want to take your focus away from him.

"That being said, I have done enough research on my own, and forgive me for saying so, but I am quite clever enough, and yet I have not found a solution to this problem. Together, you and I make a very formidable compendium of information on the Dark Arts and Defence of, and yet nothing readily comes to mind. I apologize, Severus, but I must ask that you not go in search of the solution on your own, only to get sucked into it, and forget the rest of your duties. This is not your burden to bear," said Albus, his blue gaze intense, and yet free of that maddening twinkle that Severus so liked to pretend that he despised.

"Then whose burden is it, Headmaster? No one should have to bear what is essentially a death sentence on their own, yet that is what you are claiming that you want. You know I consider you to be like a father to me, Albus. How can you expect me to ignore this and just watch you die?" Severus asked, hating how desperate and strangled his voice was starting to sound. He had never expected to outlive Albus Dumbledore, what with his dangerous lifestyle. And yet, here he was, being asked to essentially watch as the nails were placed firmly in the Headmaster's coffin. A horribly sick feeling stole over him as he imagined Dumbledore in a casket.

"Because, my son, I have asked you to. Enough of this; you did not come here to talk about me," Albus said in a firm voice, ending the conversation quite clearly.

The Potions Master gave him a look that said the conversation was definitely _not_ over, just postponed. He tried to clear his cluttered mind as he thought of what to bring up first. "Where is Lucius Malfoy being kept?"

The Headmaster sighed and shook his head, giving his wand a sharp flick to summon a tea service and a plate of scones, which he offered to Severus before serving himself. "I do not think it wise to divulge such information just yet. I have yet to question him under the effects of Veritaserum, and wish for him to be secluded until such a time."

"I want to be there, Albus. It is my serum you will be using; I trust no other supply," Severus insisted at once, ignoring the scone beside his cup of tea, and only sipping at the hot beverage for something to do.

"Of course it will be your serum, Severus. However, I do not think you should be there. There are too many emotional strings between the two of you, and I cannot risk the interrogation going astray because of your presence."

"Emotional strings? The only emotion I feel towards Lucius Malfoy is unadulterated rage, Albus! Do you realize how many times he's nearly gotten my son killed? And then he shows up after Harry is abducted, and by some insane attempt to glean information, you and Shacklebolt give him clemency! It's preposterous!" The Potions Master said, setting his cup and saucer down on the desk so firmly that the thin china cracked down the

Albus waited a few seconds for Severus to calm down, and then repaired the saucer as he gave Severus a look that clearly said, _I told you so_. "You see what I mean, then?"

"Oh, be quiet, Albus! I have _every_ right to loathe that man," Severus snapped, ignoring his tea altogether in favour of crossing his arms so firmly over his chest that his shoulders ached.

"I never said you did not. I merely said that such emotional baggage could prove detrimental to our efforts of getting the information that we need from Lucius. Do you disagree?" the Headmaster asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Severus blew out a frustrated breath, knowing the old man was right, but not willing to admit he could be wrong. He decided a negotiation of the situation was in order. "You'll use only my serum, and I want to watch the entire thing in your Pensieve after it is done. Deal?"

"It is indeed a deal, my boy."

"I still do not trust him, Albus," Severus said, his voice more weary than anything now. He had hardly slept at all the night before, and until he was sure that Lucius would not murder his son in his sleep, he wouldn't be getting any rest any time soon, either. "Someone like Lucius Malfoy cannot so easily change sides in this war, despite what has happened to his wife and son."

"Similar things were said about you when you first joined the Order, Severus, and did it not take you some time to get over your prejudices as well? Have faith, my boy."

"What is faith, Albus? That's the second time I've been told to have faith in as many days. Tell me, what exactly does that mean?" Severus asked, feeling completely alien to the idea of faith. Faith was something that occurred in Muggle religion, which was a bunch of nonsense to him. But he knew that was not what the Headmaster was referring to.

"Faith is the ability to trust in instincts, to see the good where it seems there is no good to see, and to remember that there will always be bigger, worse problems to deal with, but you're knowledge and strength will get you through them," Albus explained, his voice soft, yet so reassuring that Severus could not help but feel some of the tension drain from his body.

"I fail to see the good in your impending death, and you have forbidden me from following my instincts. What am I to do, Albus?" Severus asked, knowing that his voice sounded desperate, but beyond caring.

Albus smiled, spreading his arms as if to outline to bigger picture that Severus was missing. "The last thing, my boy. Bigger and worse things are sure to come, but you'll make it through, just as you've made it through everything else."

"But at the cost of you? What good does that do me? Faith sounds dangerously like false hope," said Severus, trying hard to keep most of the emotion out of his voice, but failing quite badly at it.

"In the eyes of a pessimist, perhaps it is false hope. But being an optimist, there is always a silver lining," Albus said, his voice ringing with pure belief in his own words.

"Will you let me know what that silver lining may be?" Severus asked desperately, finding it extremely hard to meet the Headmaster's eyes. He didn't want to see that twinkle, or watch as it slowly burned out into a dull, empty gaze.

"That, my boy, is for you to find on your own."

"Albus?" Severus questioned softly.

"Yes, Severus?"

"What in Merlin's name am I supposed to tell Harry?"

S~S~S~S

"The Headmaster is positive that the altered Latin in Zabini's casting is what allowed the cursed object to enter into the wards without being detected. That, and the way in which the curse affected you did not strike the wards as necessarily harmful. They were essentially dreams. What troubles me the most, however, is that the object was also a portkey. I've researched wards that will detect any kind of portkey or other charmed talisman that may put you in danger. I plan to cast them on our quarters straight away when I find the right ones. How are you feeling, Harry?"

Harry had to blink a few times before all the information that had just been dumped on him would filter past the sleep still fogging his mind. He had slept in, _way_ in, but had been allowed to after the harrowing events that had taken place the night before. His groggy mind was turning thoughts like heavy sludge, and he felt distinctly thick as it took him a good two minutes to figure out the question his father had just asked him.

"Oh, uh...I'm really tired. And not exactly completely awake yet, Dad. Give me a minute or two?" Harry pleaded, noticing quite belatedly that Draco was no longer lying in bed beside him. He looked over towards his desk, and saw the blonde writing steadily on quite a length of parchment.

Severus sighed heavily as he stood up from the edge of his son's bed, patting the teen's leg in a comforting gesture. "Very well. I've called the house elves to bring you something to eat; we'll talk after you've eaten, alright? I'll be in my office."

"Thanks, Dad," Harry called as he watched the Potions Master leave. He stretched and yawned before swinging his legs over the side of the bed, taking the few steps over to his desk to lean down and kiss Draco gently on the cheek. "What's the novel about, eh?"

Draco distractedly looked over his shoulder and placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips before returning his full attention to the parchment in front of him. "Just coming up with questions to ask my father while he's under Veritaserum. Leave no stone unturned, and all that rot."

"You're going to question him?" Harry asked, surprised that Severus and the Headmaster would allow such a thing.

"Well, no, I don't think I'll even be allowed in the room, but I figured that I should come up with questions for the Headmaster to ask, just in case. See, I know my father, and I know what he will and will not find easy to misdirect about," Draco said confidently, his looping script writing out question ninety-seven.

"Misdirect?" Harry asked, wondering if that was synonymous with lying. Lying under Veritaserum was impossible, however, hence the name 'truth serum'.

"You cannot lie under Veritaserum, but you can certainly evade the truth. My dad's a Slytherin; he's very good at doing just that. If you ask the right questions in the right way, however, it will be nearly impossible not to give a completely honest and open answer. They're only suggestions; who knows if they'll actually be used," Draco said with a shrug, dipping his eagle feather quill into his ink pot as he started in on the next question.

Harry kissed Draco on the cheek once more, looking up as Dobby carried in a tray of food and sat it down on the bedside table for Harry. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Draco. But I also think you should come eat with me."

"I already ate earlier," Draco admitted, his mind focussed back on the trailing parchment in front of him. It was quite impressive how, after so many inches of writing, Draco's handwriting remained looping and elegant as ever. Penmanship classes from a young age, Harry didn't doubt.

"Well, come sit with me then. Please?" Harry asked, trailing his fingers through Draco's silky locks, and chuckling as the blonde shuddered at his touch.

"Damn you, Potter," Draco groused, even as he sat his quill aside and accompanied Harry to his bed. He sat with his back leaning against the headboard, allowing Harry to comfortably sit between his legs, the magical tray hovering inches above Harry's lap so he could eat while leaning back against that Slytherin's firm chest.

"Do you really think your dad can just change his mind about everything and join the Order?" Harry asked after a long silence in which he finished half his eggs and bacon.

"I dunno, do I? I'd like to believe it, but then again...it seems nearly impossible. I love my father, but he is not exactly what you'd call a good person," Draco said sardonically, wiping a bit of egg off of Harry's face.

"No need to convince me of _that_; I already know," Harry said in a dark tone, almost losing his appetite as flashes of memories from the Department of Mysteries came flooding back. He set his fork down, unable to finish his eggs as he watched, in his mind's eye, as Sirius fell through the veil once more, the laughter still etched into his aged and gaunt face.

"He's still my father, you know," Draco chastised, helping Harry set the tray aside when it was evident that the Gryffindor had had his fill.

"Doesn't make him any less of a bastard," Harry commented, snuggling into Draco's embrace as the blonde wrapped his arms around him.

Draco squeezed Harry gently, holding firmly to the brunette as he kissed the top of his unruly hair. "No, but it makes him important to me."

Harry sighed heavily as he relished the safety and love he felt in Draco's arms. "I know."

S~S~S~S

The soft knocks on the door had been expected, but that didn't stop Severus from jerking slightly as he was pulled out of his reverie. He called for his son to enter, finishing up the sentence he had been copying out of a book about warding spells. He set his quill aside when Harry took the seat across from him.

"So, more warding spells, then?" Harry asked in a tired voice, noticing that the Potions Professor looked quite exhausted himself.

"Yes, I do believe more warding spells are in order. That is twice already that you have been taken away from protective hands by a hidden portkey, and it's quite nonsense. You should have been secure here in the dungeons, and I feel like it is my fault that you were taken," said Severus, his voice holding a weary tone that Harry had never heard in his father's voice before.

"Dad...it's not your fault at all. You've done everything to keep me safe here. Accidents happen; you can't catch them all," Harry said with a shrug, wishing that completely drained look would disappear from the older Wizard's face. It hurt to think that he was causing Severus so much grief.

"An accident, Harry, that could have ended in your death. There is no excuse for that. I had a very long discussion with the Headmaster about warding spells and keeping you out of harm's way, and we are trying everything we can to find a solution. However, there are a few other things we need to speak about," Severus said, his tone positively reluctant now. He still didn't know how he was going to break this news to Harry. When he had asked the Headmaster just what he should say, the wizened old man told him, "_You will figure it out, my boy, all in due time._" His response was to roll his eyes and drawl a short 'thanks'.

Harry nodded, watching as his father ran a hand through his lank hair and leaned back heavily in his chair. He felt the incessant need to apologize for just how tired his father was, but figured he would be rebuked for it. "So, who's going to question Malfoy?"

"The Headmaster, of course, but with my stock of Veritaserum. I will get to see the interrogation in Albus' Pensieve afterwards, just to satisfy my own worries and curiosities. Furthermore, Blaise Zabini was escorted out of the castle this morning by Aurors, and will be standing on trial in a couple of month's time for suspected Death Eater activity. Lucius Malfoy is being detained within this castle, and cannot leave where he is without being escorted by Albus himself," Severus explained, quite satisfied with that knowledge, but still on edge that he didn't even know in what wing of the castle Lucius was in.

"You have no idea where he's being detained, though," Harry pointed out with a knowing look. His father seemed to be on edge, and that was not normal for him. Even when he was paranoid, he remained calm and collected.

"No, I do not. There is one other thing I must discuss with you, Harry. This needs to be kept to yourself, however. It is essential that this information not become public knowledge, do you understand? You cannot even tell Draco; I will see fit to tell him myself. Do I have your word?" Severus asked calmly, watching as the young Gryffindor became more serious, more focused. He was already being moulded to his soldier form. It frightened him.

"I can give you a Wizard's Oath if you want, Dad. I'm not going to tell anyone," Harry said firmly, pulling out his wand to make the oath. The Potions Master shook his head and made a gesture for Harry to put his wand away.

"I trust your word, Harry. I do not need an official Oath as well." Severus stood and moved around his desk, dragging the second chair closer to Harry, almost so that their knees touched. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the boy's knees as he took a deep breath to prepare himself.

"You remember when the Headmaster was cursed earlier this school year, I presume?" he waited for Harry's affirmative nod to continue.

"I'm sure that you already knew this curse was extremely bad. You were there when I told him he didn't have more than a year to live with that curse still plaguing his body, and that was only under stasis. The curse has spread, and his time has been cut even more severely short. Albus is dying Harry, very quickly, and his strength will begin to drain at an even more rapid rate now that the curse has been able to defeat the stasis spell. There is...no other solution, from my own research and the Headmaster's. I wanted to tell you now, to prepare you, because it could happen at any time."

Harry felt his chest constrict, his mind displaying the scene of Sirius falling through the veil once more. His imagination readily supplied him with a picture of Dumbledore; broken, frail, decaying, taking rasping breaths that shook his elderly frame. Harry quickly blinked his eyes, trying to will away that image, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

"What about...what about the Order, and the information that Lucius is supposed to give us about Voldemort? How am I supposed to deal with all of this without Dumbledore telling me what to do with it? He's been the one guiding me through everything. I don't know his game plan, I don't know what he expects me to do," Harry rambled, knowing his was only digging himself deeper into a pool of anxiety. He was extremely grateful when his father placed both hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake, drawing his gaze back.

"You will not be left alone in this, Harry. You will always have Remus and I, and the rest of the Order as well. Losing Albus will be extremely hard, but we will surely find a way to cope without him. Casualties are expected in war; that's the way of life. I promise you, you'll not be left to deal with everything alone, alright?" Severus assured his son, who was shaking quite badly beneath his firm hold on his shoulders.

"Why does everyone around me have to _die?_" Harry rasped, trying to blink back the moisture that stung at his eyes. He was unsuccessful as the tears slid steadily down his cheeks.

Severus felt his chest ache as he drew his son into a tight embrace, cradling the back of the boy's head as he wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders. "Oh, Harry. That's not true. I know you've been through quite enough loss as it is, but it has nothing to do with you specifically. You did not cause these deaths, they were simply circumstantial. I will get you through this too, my son."

The Potions Master sat there, holding his son while he sobbed into his chest, grateful that Harry was so consumed by his own immense grief, that he did not see the tears streaming down Severus' own cheeks.

* * *

**A/N:** I will try my hardest to be a little more diligent with my writing to get the chapters out sooner. I believe there will only be two or three more chapters before the 'second half' of _Never Alone_ will commence. Just to make things clear, the story _**will remain one thread**_. Thanks for reading, and please review to let me know what you think!


	36. Unspeakable Plans

**A/N:** Hello there readers! Well, I know I said that the end of the first part of this story was near, but I fear I spoke too soon. My muse and I have been working on the plot quite a bit after realizing something was missing. I'm still currently making hefty edits, and won't even attempt to estimate how many chapters are left of the first half. All I know for sure is that there is _much_ more to come than I had originally planned! Again, thanks go to Renee, my beta and muse for her infallible help! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 36.  
Unspeakable Plans**

The interrogation of Lucius Malfoy took place the very next day. The Headmaster spent nearly five hours locked in a room with the Death Eater, detained and dosed with the strongest, most potent Veritaserum that Severus had in stock. The Potions Master could not help but pace across his study nervously every hour or so, wondering what was being asked, how it was being answered.

Harry, on the other hand, was having a hard time trying to get Draco to talk about anything, regarding his father or not. He stayed unnervingly quiet the whole time, driving Harry crazy when he just wanted to hear the Slytherin's voice. "Draco, _please_ talk to me. Tell me anything. Call me an idiot Gryffindor. _Anything_," Harry begged kneeling on the sofa beside Draco, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

Draco half-glared half-smiled at Harry's antics, pulling the Gryffindor so that he fell into his lap. He brushed the unruly locks away from Harry's eyes as he kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm sorry, love. I'm just...worried, scared, confused. You name it."

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do," Draco said, his tone scandalized, even as he pulled Harry closer to him. "I love you too, you prat."

Harry smiled, reaching up to cup Draco's smooth cheek. He had never really given much thought to it, but now as he lay there, sprawled across Draco's lap and comfortable in his tight embrace, Harry couldn't help but admire just how beautiful the blonde really was. His skin was pale and smooth, his hair silky and shiny, and he smelled so wonderful Harry had a hard time not taking deep whiffs every time he breathed near the Slytherin.

"You're beautiful," Harry whispered, brushing his knuckles along Draco's cheek, annoyed yet amused that he didn't even feel any stubble there.

"I prefer the term 'handsome', but I'll take it. You're not half bad yourself, you know," Draco teased, leaning down to catch Harry's lips in a kiss once more.

Harry smirked, wrapping a hand around Draco's neck and pulling him down for a much deeper kiss that had them both panting for breath. "You're a vain git."

"Mmm, but you love me this way."

"I'll always love you, no matter what," Harry said quietly, their teasing suddenly becoming much more serious. The Gryffindor sat up a bit straighter, though still in Draco's lap, and met the blonde's intense gaze with his own. "I want a promise from you, Draco."

"What promise?" Draco asked, his voice sounding quite breathy as he found it hard to look directly into Harry's emerald gaze. The sheer power he felt and saw in those eyes made him shudder with want and such a strong surge of protectiveness and love that he felt nearly overwhelmed.

"Promise me that we'll always be together, no matter what happens."

Draco smiled warmly at the Gryffindor pulling him in for a much sweeter, gentler kiss. "I promise."

"Adorable as you both may be together, I do not think Severus would approve of your current seating arrangements," Remus said in a sardonic voice, giving Harry a pointed look. The werewolf had been in Severus' study just moments before, trying to get the man to come out and relax for awhile. The Potions Master was having none of it, however.

"You're just jealous because Severus doesn't sit in your lap," Draco joked, earning himself a chuckle and punch in the arm from Harry. "Ouch!"

"Maybe not in the middle of the sitting room..." Remus drawled, smirking as Harry giggled and Draco put on a horrified face. He loved how expressive children could be, even in the face of trying times.

"I did _not_ need to know that!"

"I believe there's a Muggle saying about cats and curiosity, Draco?" Severus said with a smirk of his own as he finally came out of his study. He saw Harry attempt to scramble out of Draco's lap, nearly perilously injuring the other boy, who yelled, "Oi, I need those, you know!" He took his open armchair, which was by far his favourite, and accepted the cup of tea that Remus offered to him.

"Besides, my armchair is much more comfortable than your bony hips, Lupin."

"I'll keep comment about bony hips to myself, I think," Remus said in a low voice, making the Potions Master blush and the teens snort in laughter.

"I believe there's another Muggle saying, about cats and being in possession of one's tongue?" Remus mocked, ducking as the Potions Master launched a throw pillow at his head.

The floo roared to life just then, the Headmaster's face appearing in the green flames. He looked worn out, but determined. "The interrogation is over. As I promised, Severus, you may come watch it in the Pensive at your convenience. I will tell you now, however, that I believe Lucius Malfoy to be sincere in his concerns and decisions to leave Voldemort's service. He still has a few qualms about blood-status, but has agreed to help with whatever he can regarding the Order. There will be an Order meeting later tonight. For now, we both need our rest. The Pensieve is ready on the desk for you."

Without so much as waiting for any questions or comments, Dumbledore ended the fire call, leaving Severus quite annoyed and Harry and Draco slightly confused.

"A few 'qualms'? Doesn't he mean prejudiced arse-like opinions about Muggles and Muggle-borns?" Harry asked with a derisive snort, scowling as Draco gave him a dark look.

"The Headmaster said he's of the opinion that my father is sincere, so that means we can trust him," Draco argued. He knew his father was going to be a sore subject for him, he just hoped it wouldn't cause some sort of rift between him and Harry.

Severus stood from his armchair and resumed his pacing, ignoring the way Remus rolled his eyes. "Not necessarily, Draco. Being sincere does not make you trustworthy."

"He was under Veritaserum for five hours!"

"You know as well as I do that Lucius has been able to skirt questions under Veritaserum before. I don't think it would be wise to peruse the Pensieve just yet. What I'd like is to speak with the man myself," Severus said, pausing in his pacing with a look on concentration on his face.

"He'll still be under the effects, Dad," Harry reminded the Potions Master.

Severus turned and gave Harry a truly frightening smile that the Gryffindor hoped he would never have to see again. "Precisely."

"Severus, Albus gave you completely valid reasons for why he didn't want you questioning Lucius. You are biased; it is not a good idea. Besides, you don't even know where he is," Remus pointed out, his tone extremely annoyed.

"But I know how I can find him, Remus. Harry, I believe you have quite an extraordinary map of Hogwarts and it's grounds?" Severus said in a sickly sweet voice, his smirk becoming wider as Remus flinched.

"I should have seen that coming," the werewolf admitted with a frown.

Harry was looking between his father and step-father, feeling quite uncomfortable. He didn't know who to agree with, or what to do. He feared that if his father did question Lucius, he wouldn't be very nice about it. However, Harry wasn't all that concerned about Lucius being treated fairly. But he knew it would hurt Draco, and so he was torn.

"Look, I think Remus is right. I'm sure Dumbledore asked Lucius everything even you could think of, and he had Draco's huge list of suggested questions as well. Maybe if you just go look in the Pensieve, you'll find that all your questions have already been answered."

"Just wait until the meeting tonight at least, Severus. I'm sure you won't be able to contain your questions then," Remus said, earning himself a glare from the Potions Master.

Patience was definitely a virtue, but Severus would wait. He had his own ideas about why Lucius had a change of _heart_, for lack of a better word. As far as he was concerned, the man didn't _have_ a heart.

S~S~S~S

After fighting with Harry and Draco for nearly twenty minutes about them joining in on the Order meeting, Severus and Remus flooed through to Grimmauld Place, where there was already a sizable crowd in the basement kitchen. Severus noticed that the Headmaster and Lucius were not in attendance yet. He stood off to the side, offering the last empty seat to Remus, who gave him a warm smile. The full moon was tomorrow night, and the Defence Professor was exhausted and achy.

The room was full of the usual members, including some of the Hogwarts staff, which couldn't all attend and leave the castle unattended. A few familiar, yet new faces were there as well; Fred and George Weasley. They were both whispering to each other with quite serious faces, which was highly unusual for the dynamic duo.

Conversation ceased as soon as Dumbledore flooed in, closely followed by Lucius Malfoy. Apparently, those in attendance had been warned of the former Death Eater's presence, as no one pulled their wands and hexed him straight away.

"I call this meeting to order. Everyone please, make yourselves quite comfortable; we may be here a while," Albus explained, conjuring two comfortable looking armchairs for himself and Lucius.

Severus sighed and drew his wand, conjuring a chair for himself. He ignored the soft looks he received from a few of the female Order members when Remus scooted his chair back, so that they sat side by side.

"As you've all been informed, Lucius Malfoy has defected to the side of the Light. Dire circumstances, plus a change of heart, have changed his loyalties, and he has made an Unbreakable Vow to me that he will never rejoin Voldemort, he will do everything in his power to help us win this war, and he will give any information he knows about Voldemort's plans.

"Furthermore, as most of you are aware of, an abduction attempt occurred night before last, in which Mr. Potter was removed from the castle by a time release portkey. Such a dire mistake in the warding is not acceptable, and it is my suggestion that those of you who have the time and resources to research, should do so and report any knowledgeable findings to me. Lucius is the only reason that we managed to recover young Harry, and send two of the most dangerous Death Eaters back to Azkaban where they belong. On that note, I'd like to turn things over to Lucius."

The Headmaster waved his arms, indicating that Lucius should take things over from him. The blonde man sat up straighter, pulling his robes tighter around him as he seemed to mentally prepare himself for his Order debut.

"Thank you, Albus. As one of the Dark Lord's former Inner Circle followers, I was privy to quite a bit of useful information. Not necessarily all of it, no, but enough to be able to provide you all with details of very important plans which are soon going to be put into effect by the Dark Lord. With the recent development of losing three of his most loyal Death Eaters, things might be set back, but not for very long. If one thing is certain, it is that the Dark Lord knows how to bounce back quite quickly.

"That having been said, I have already informed the Headmaster of everything I know, and he has deemed a few of the details too important to give out to the entire Order. Therefore, the version of plans I will tell you tonight have been slightly altered, but are still true and accurate."

It was painfully obvious to everyone in the room that Lucius Malfoy was a very eloquent, charismatic speaker. If he hadn't been using money to gain the upper hand when it came to politics, his power of persuasive speech would have gotten him anything he wanted just the same. However, there was a definite intensity in the air that suggested not all of the Order were ready to believe this man.

"I know most people will take the Headmaster's word with a grain of salt these days, no offense Albus, but why exactly should we believe anything you say? I certainly haven't forgotten who you are, and what you've done. In fact, I think I know more than anyone else here about who you _really_ are, Lucius," Severus said, his voice low and mocking as he glared across the table at the aristocratic man.

"If you choose not to believe in Headmaster Dumbledore's trust, that is your own decision, Severus," Lucius said, his patience obviously drawn thin, though his sense of decorum kept him from snapping at the man as he usually would. Oh, how it irked him that he no longer had any power over that damn, snarky man.

Fred leaned over, looking down the table towards Lucius as George prodded him in the side impatiently. "We're of Snape's opinion over here. Professor Dumbledore's word is a pretty hefty thing and all, but this man was the reason our baby sister nearly died five years ago. How could we possibly trust him?"

There were many murmurs of agreement as the Order began to whisper amongst themselves, some of them apparently unaware of this detail. All eyes were trained on Lucius once more, and his irritation was starting to show.

"I had no idea that giving that book to Ginny Weasley would cause the problem that it did, or that it could cost the girl her life. I was simply following orders. Much the same way our Severus here was only following orders when he delivered half of the prophecy to the Dark Lord some sixteen years ago," Lucius drawled, sending a very unpleasant smile towards Severus, who was shaking with fury.

"How _dare_ you," Severus hissed, sliding his wand out of his sleeve very slowly.

"In fact, I don't think Wizarding Family Services would have allowed Severus to adopt Mr. Potter had they known he was responsible for the poor child losing his parents to begin with," Lucius continued on, obviously taking pleasure in Severus' reactions.

Remus pulled Severus' arm down just in time as the man had intended to start a duel in the middle of the kitchen. He held his husband's wrist firmly, giving him a look that said to calm down. He glared down at Lucius, who was smiling smugly.

"Peter Pettigrew is the reason the Potters were killed, Malfoy. That has nothing to do with the fact that your loyalties are still somewhat up in the air. Forgive us for thinking that the man who tried to kill Harry less than a year ago isn't exactly trustworthy!"

"We've had years of loyalty and spying services from Severus to know that, even though he was once part of the Death Eaters, he changed his ways. All we have from you is the fact that you, thankfully, saved Harry from being taken to Voldemort, but only because you wanted something out of him. How many people have you killed, tortured, _raped_ during your time as a Death Eater? Severus can honestly answer that question with none. I'm sure you can't say the same for yourself," Molly intoned calmly from beside George, who was patting her hand on the table. It was obvious that her husband's passing had made a big impact on her, as she looked exhausted and had lost even more weight.

"You will learn, Lucius, that this is _my_ territory now. You may have been used to being more important than I in the Dark Lord's circle, but here, you are _nothing_," Severus hissed between clenched teeth, sure he was bruising his husband's hand under the table in order to keep control of himself.

"I have the utmost confidence in Lucius' reasons for leaving Voldemort's service and coming to us. He has been questioned thoroughly, and his answers have been deemed satisfactory. Despite past grievances, Lucius has invaluable information for us, and we should be glad that we have the opportunity to hear what he has to say. Very many of you who have been with the Order since it's very first meeting, had similar issues trusting Severus. I hope we can find it in our hearts to give this man, who has lost nearly everything in this war, a second chance to redeem himself," Dumbledore said firmly, fixing his heavy stare on Severus, whose anger still had not subsided in the slightest bit.

The Potions Master was still spoiling for a fight, and wanted nothing more than to knock that smug look from Lucius Malfoy's face. It was obvious that it was getting him nowhere, however, so Severus decided he would let it go, for now. Soon enough, the rest of the Order would come to see how sadistic this man really was.

Lucius looked around to the rest of the Order members, who still seemed a little torn over the argument. A few were looking eager to hear this information, while others still looked wary in trusting this man's words.

"Shall I continue then, Headmaster?" Lucius asked, pretending to be unaffected by the blazing death glare he was receiving from his fellow former Death Eater. Despite the man having a few good points in his argument, Lucius _was_ sincere. He wanted what was best for him and his son, and he knew now that the tables had turned. He accepted the nod from Dumbledore and cleared his throat, getting his speech back on track after the annoying interruption.

"The first step is infiltrating the Ministry. I'm sure everybody here knows that there are quite a few Death Eaters within the Ministry at this time. However, the Dark Lord just gained a new follower who, apparently, is proving quite useful. After Severus was found to be a traitor, the Dark Lord went looking for another Potions Master. They aren't easy to find, especially since our very own is the top in Britain and Scotland. He reached across the English Channel and found a Frenchman. I do not know this man's name; no one save the Dark Lord does. He gained employment at the Ministry as an Unspeakable, performing Potions experiments of all kinds. He was sympathetic to the Dark Lord's plans, and took the Mark sometime before December. Since then, he's been helping the Dark Lord produce a potion that will strip a magical being of their powers. Ghastly dark stuff, but the worst part is that the Ministry has been allowing him to do so within the Department of Mysteries. They're supporting his efforts, and the Dark Lord's by proxy."

Dumbledore turned towards Severus, who was looking quite angry at the prospect of being replaced by a _Frenchman_. "Severus, I know you have extensive knowledge of all of your competitors. How many Potions Masters reside in France?"

"As far as I know off the top of my head, only three. However, this man that is now working for the Ministry may not be a true Potions Master. How is the Dark Lord so sure?" Severus directed the question at Lucius, who even in a room full of people who strongly disliked him, managed to look quite smug.

"Foolish question, Severus. He was subjected to quite a bit of questioning under Veritaserum, not to mention a bit of torture here and there," the blonde answered, giving the Potions Professor a look that said he should have known better, and that the torturing was most likely done by his own hand.

"His own Veritaserum? Need I remind you how many times I saved my own life by taking my own, altered truth serum?"

Lucius shrugged, even making that look elegant. "I do not know where the potion came from, Severus. I only know that three days were spent questioning, and on the end of the third, he received the Dark Mark."

"The second step, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked calmly, dragging everyone's attention back to the blonde instead of an irate Snape, who didn't look pleased with Lucius' answer.

"The second step, Headmaster, is the probably the biggest of them all. After the Ministry has been underhanded and taken over, the Dark Lord plans to devise a registry, where anyone of impure blood must register with the Ministry at once, or face an immediate Dementor's Kiss. These Witches and Wizards will be collected and amassed in camps, which he described as being very similar to those of the Muggle Nazi Holocaust. He seems to think Adolf Hitler had the right way of thinking, even if he was a Muggle," Lucius drawled, knowing that only a few people in the room would even know who or what he was talking about.

"Anyways, these camps would be like torture chambers. The men would be put under Imperius and used as expendable soldiers, while the women and children would be used as sex slaves. Despite all of this, upon arrival at these camps, every person would be forced to take the Potion which would strip them of their magical powers, rendering them all into beings none more magical than Muggles themselves. A few of you might be wondering why the Dark Lord doesn't just kill them all and be done with it, but I can tell you why. There is no pleasure for him in just mere death. He needs to see, hear, smell, and taste the torture, know that pain of unbearable proportions is being suffered by these people. However, he does plan to kill them all, eventually. But the next step has to happen before he'll do away with them."

"And that would be?" Severus ground out, thoroughly irritated at Malfoy's obvious theatrics and the way his fellow Order members were falling prey to it all. Why couldn't the man just get on with it and lay it all out in the open?

"The third and final step in this grand plan is moving his army against the Muggle population, and taking over so that it would be the Muggles who hide in fear amongst the Wizards. He plans to take Britain first, then the Continent, and so forth."

"How the hell does this madman expect to get all of this done?" Tonks asked from near the end of the table, where Charlie Weasley was sitting almost indecently close to her and holding her hand tightly in his own.

Lucius smiled indulgently at the witch, no doubt recalling fond memories of when he had imprisoned and questioned her. "Through cunning and ambition, of course. He was a member of Slytherin house when he attended Hogwarts, after all."

"Yes, unfortunately for the rest of us Slytherins who aren't barking mad," Kingsley said from the other side of the table, earning a few curious looks. Apparently it was not widely known that the Minister had indeed attended Hogwarts, and had been a Slytherin. Severus offered him an appreciative smirk.

Lucius didn't look very appreciative of the comment himself, but he didn't indulge the Minister in his thoughts at all, instead turning to look at the Headmaster. "The first thing I think should happen is making sure no more of the Ministry's employees can be put under the Imperius curse. Having our own Ministry plants as part of the Order will help us with that, not to mention having the Minister himself here. The Unspeakables experimentation with the magic stripping potions needs to be stopped as well. Without that potion, these plans become futile."

"Even being the Minister, my influence is still highly limited. We have clearance in the Department of Mysterious though, I believe. Dedalus?" Kingsley asked of the man sitting to his right.

"Yes, sir, though I'm not sure in which adjunct department this is taking place. Unspeakables are not exactly known for their gossiping. I'll see what I can do about finding out who's in charge, and also finding out who this French Potions Master fellow is."

"Jean-Pierre Moreau," Severus blurted, causing several people to stare at him. "He's a Beauxbatons graduate, a few years older than myself. He earned his Mastery the same year that I did, and was extremely angry when I was awarded top scores and Mastery in both Britain and Scotland, whereas he only received top scores and Mastery in France, though we both tried for Germany and lost it to Mallory Krause of Durmstrang, three years younger than him and quite a bright witch. I know he's a Voldemort sympathiser. That has to be who it is."

"Researchers, find out what you can about Jean-Pierre Moreau, and whether or not he is still residing in France," Dumbledore instructed, watching as the members in charge of research wrote the man's name down and the information Severus had given them.

The meeting went on for another hour or so, small plans being made to keep the Ministry from falling under Voldemort's influence. If they cut off the megalomaniac's plans before they even began, they had a chance of derailing them completely.

Severus and Remus returned to Hogwarts, tired and slightly irritated when the Headmaster asked them not to reveal any of the meeting's plans to Harry. The boy had the right to know what was happening, and Severus planned to make sure that Harry was informed.

After sitting him and Draco down to discuss the meeting, Harry became immediately irritated. "Why doesn't Dumbledore just let me into the Order? I need to know all of this stuff if I'm going to be the one to get rid of Voldemort!"

"I think, Harry, that Albus does not think these bigger plans concern you. He wants you as little involved as possible, and so sets the Order to take care of the rest. He said he had something important to discuss with you, and he could put it off no longer. I expect he'll be asking to speak with you soon," Severus said, very irritated himself with the Headmaster. He knew the man was keeping something else from him, something that concerned Harry, and that was almost unforgivable to him.

No sooner had Severus spoke than the floo flared to life, the Headmaster's head floating amongst the green flames. "Harry, my boy! I was wondering if you'd be willing to come to my office for a spot of tea? I have something very important to discuss with you."

Severus and Harry shared a look that said they both knew the man entirely too well, and Harry nodded. "Sure, Professor. Should I step through?"

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore said before pulling his head out of the fire and allowing the Gryffindor to step through into his office. He watched as the boy brushed off his robes and then followed him to his desk, taking the seat across from the Headmaster as they both sat.

"Tea, Harry?" Albus asked, holding up an ornate tea cup and steaming pot of fragrant tea.

"Sure, that'd be nice," Harry said with a sad smile, feeling his heart ache as he saw the black, decaying hand struggle to grip the cup properly.

"Now then, I'm sure your fathers have undoubtedly let you in on Voldemort's most recent plans, despite my urging them to keep it to themselves?" the Headmaster asked, his eyes twinkling as ever.

"Naturally," Harry responded, sipping at his tea as the Headmaster chuckled indulgently.

"Yes, I expected as much. Well, Harry, I had asked them not to inform you for a reason. I do not want you concerning yourself with Order matters such as those plans. You have a very different, very important task you must complete, and fretting over Voldemort's plan will only distract you."

"I know I have to be the one to defeat Voldemort, sir, so how do his plans to essentially take over the world not concern me?"

"Because, Harry, there are much bigger things to be concerned about. Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Harry's face scrunched in confusion, thrown by the sudden question. "No, I've never heard that word before."

Dumbledore gave a nod, as if this confirmed his suspicions. "Unsurprising, I must say, as Horcruxes are very dark magic. So dark, in fact, that all books pertaining to how they are made, kept, and destroyed were ordered to be destroyed a few centuries previous. However, a few of them survived the purge. The practice is now almost unheard of, but unfortunately for us, the information has fallen into the wrong hands."

"What is a Horcrux, sir?" Harry asked tentatively, afraid to even know what these apparently evil things were.

"A Horcrux, Harry, is an object which contains a portion of somebody's soul, placed there for safekeeping, in order to avoid death. Without destroying both the piece of soul held in the object, and the piece left residing in the living human, one cannot be killed."

Harry felt his stomach drop. This did not sound good at all. "So, you're telling me that Voldemort has made one of these Horcruxes, and I have to destroy it first before I can kill him?"

"No, I'm telling you that Voldemort has made no less than six Horcruxes, and they all must be destroyed before you can kill him, the seventh and final piece," the Headmaster said in a matter of fact voice, staying calm as Harry blanched.

"_Six!_ But they could be anything, couldn't they? How do you split your soul anyways?" Harry asked, horrified at the very thought of ripping his soul into two, let alone seven pieces. No wonder the bastard was barely human.

"By the most heinous, unforgivable act there is; murder. A Horcrux can only be created on the heels of a murder. When a Wizard takes the life of another person, their soul becomes torn in two. With the right spell, this piece of soul can be transferred to an outside object, therefore protecting the Wizard from death. Voldemort has committed six murders, at least, and has created six Horcruxes, the seventh piece lying inside of him still."

"So I have to figure out what these things are, _where_ they are, and figure out how to destroy them before I can even _think_ of killing Voldemort? How long have you know about this?" Harry asked, starting to feel anger pulsing through his veins. Just how long was Dumbledore planning to keep this from him?

Dumbledore sighed wearily, leaning back in his chair as he looked as old as every one of his one-hundred plus years. "I have suspected this information for about five years now; since you brought me Tom Riddle's diary and described to me the memory of young Tom, stealing Ms. Weasley's life force. I have done much research since then, and upon finding a Horcrux of my own, my suspicions were confirmed. I have been collecting memories and information for years on this matter, Harry, but I did not receive confirmation until this past year, when I was burdened with this curse," Dumbledore said, shaking back his sleeve to expose the spreading curse scar up his arm.

"So, wait – if I destroyed the diary, and you destroyed that ring, does that mean there are only four Horcruxes left?" Harry asked, feeling slightly better about his chances with that information.

"By my calculations, yes, and I may just know what another one of them may be. I also have my suspicions about the other three as well, but it is all merely speculation at this point. However, Harry, as you're well aware, I do not have much time left. As much as I did not want to burden you with this task, I fear it is time to pass it on to you, for I will not be able to do it on my own very soon. I am weakening, quite rapidly, and it is essential that you know everything that I do about these Horcruxes and how to destroy them."

"Were you planning on ever telling me, or did you just decide you had no other choice because you're dying?" Harry asked, knowing that he was being perhaps a little crass, but not really caring anymore. He'd had enough of being kept in the dark already.

"I did not think it was important for you to know, Harry. What with the weight of the Prophecy, I believed you already had too much on your shoulders as it was. I did not want to add the stress of this as well. You're just a boy, Harry – "

"I have _never_ been 'just a boy', sir. The moment Voldemort killed my parents and marked me as his equal, I stopped being a child. You'll note that keeping the Prophecy from me for so long not only left me open to Voldemort's manipulations, but it got Sirius killed! Who else has to die in order for you to set it all out in the open and come clean? Your ridiculous attempts to protect my innocence are foolish, and I am bloody _sick_ of being kept in the dark about everything!" Harry snapped, crossing his arms over his chest to keep himself from pulling his wand and cursing the Headmaster right then and there.

"You must understand, Harry. I saw no sense in worrying you further when I myself did not have all of the answers to the questions you would undoubtedly have. Even now there are details I am unclear on, and now I have no time left to help you figure them out."

"And whose fault is that? If you would have told me years ago, we would have had more time!" Harry yelled, standing from his seat and pacing instead. He had to do something other than sit there and glare at Dumbledore, or he was likely to do something stupid.

Dumbledore's blue eyes no longer held any trace of their twinkle as he sat up straight and watched Harry pace. "When do you suppose I should have brought it up? Perhaps after I first suspected, when Ginny Weasley was recovering in hospital your second year? Or maybe in your third year, when you were worried sick that an escaped mass murderer was out to kill you? Oh, but there was always your fourth year, when you were forced to compete in a competition with students much older and cleverer than yourself, and then watched the Dark Lord rise once more and kill Cedric Diggory. Perhaps last year would have been best, after you lost your godfather, got your friends injured and almost killed, and learned for the first time that it was you, Harry, who had to be the one to kill Voldemort in the end? Tell me, when would you have preferred I let you know my unconfirmed suspicions that Voldemort was essentially immortal?"

Harry had stopped pacing and was now glaring daggers at the Headmaster. The man was completely incorrigible, and Harry was finding it very hard not to scream in frustration. "How about after you got confirmation on your suspicions, back when you still had a year to help me figure this all out before you snuffed it? But no, instead you let the curse spread, without telling my dad so he could help, and you let precious time slip away because you wanted to 'protect' me. Where the hell is the logic in that, Albus?" Harry had never addressed the Wizard by his first name before, but he felt it was time they both treated each other as equals, as adults, because despite his age, Harry was _not_ a child.

"I am still your Headmaster, Mr. Potter, and you will still show me a modicum of respect. I have done everything in my power to keep you safe all of these years and a little gratitude would not go amiss."

Harry's blood boiled as Dumbledore's smarmy tone bit at the last of Harry's patience. "Gratitude! For keeping me completely in the dark about everything so that I looked the fool and got people killed? And here you are, letting out another huge secret that could change the outcome of the entire war, and then telling me I'm not allowed to help in the efforts to keep Voldemort and his ilk at bay?"

"You cannot do everything yourself, Harry! You have a very specific job, and you _must_ focus on that and that only! Voldemort's other plans do not concern you at all! You cannot singlehandedly save everyone all at once," Dumbledore snapped, losing his patience with Harry for the first time that he could remember.

"But that's what I'm supposed to do by fulfilling the prophecy, right? So what's the difference? Either way everyone is asking too much of me, but of course I have no say in any of it! This destiny was thrust upon me, and I'm expected to just run with it, save the entire world from some raving lunatic on a power trip. I've been raised to fit the mould, honed for this purpose, like I'm just some weapon, not even a human being! Well being human is what makes me accept this destiny! I couldn't leave the world to fend for itself out of cowardice, and you knew I would end up this way! Leaving me with the Dursleys as a baby is all the proof I need. That's also why the Sorting hat didn't indeed put me in Slytherin as it so wanted; because it would have helped me develop my sense of self preservation, which would have made fulfilling the prophecy impossible. I'm not a dunderheaded child anymore, and I'm certainly not blind! I am just the head pawn in this great game of war, and I'm sick of mindlessly following orders!"

Harry was out of breath, as if he'd just run a mile instead of screaming at the top of his voice at the Headmaster, his mentor and who he thought was his friend. The old man looked so tired and defeated that Harry began to feel guilty for his ranting.

"There are no more secrets, Harry, I promise. This is the last of them, and it will be up to you to finish the rest. Are you ready to hear what I know about the Horcruxes?" Dumbledore asked in a very weary, quiet voice.

Harry took a deep breath and retook his seat across from the Headmaster. If this was it, the last of the secrets, then Harry could learn to let it go. "Yes, sir. I'm ready."

S~S~S~S

Draco was pacing outside of the concealed room, waiting and waiting, trying his hardest not to just pound on the wall and demand entrance. He'd received the owl from the Headmaster nearly an hour after Harry had gone to talk with the old man, and it had been another twenty minutes before he could get up the courage to follow the directions down to the deepest pits of the dungeons and wait for the concealed entrance to recognize his magical signature and allow him in.

The wall suddenly glowed a faint blue, and a door appeared in the stone wall. Draco reached out and twisted the handle, pulling the door open quickly. The small room looked very similar to his own, and he was very glad to see that his father was not being held like a prisoner in some stingy cell in the bowels of Hogwarts, though this was terribly close to just that.

"Father," Draco said quietly, watching as the elder Malfoy sat up from the small bed, smiling as he caught sight of Draco.

"Dragon," Lucius whispered standing and dragging his son into a hug. He had not indulged the boy in physical contact since he was very young, but things had changed now, and he vowed to hug his child at every opportunity, lest he lose the chance to do it ever again.

"How are you doing, son?" Lucius asked as he sat down on his bed, motioning for Draco to join him.

"I'm doing ok, I suppose. I'm just worried about Harry. It's been a really stressful couple of weeks for him, you know?" Draco said, his expression one of mingled concern and admiration as he thought of the Gryffindor.

"How did your relationship come to be, Draco? I always thought you fancied girls, Pansy in particular. You two have known each other since birth," Lucius asked, honestly curious about his son's change in sexual orientation, and choice in lover. That his son would become romantically involved with _Harry Potter_ of all people was just plain ironic.

"He was there for me when nobody else was. The entire time I was in a coma, Harry was there, talking to me, helping me not go insane. He looked for a way to bring me out of it, and eventually did pull me out of it. He helped me try to regain my memories, and tutored me on everything I had forgotten in school. Harry was a friend when I felt completely alone, especially after losing Mum. Falling in love with him just felt as natural and as essential to me as breathing. It was so easy, it was subconscious, and it was required for me to keep on living. I didn't really care or pay attention to the fact that he was a boy, or that he was _Harry Potter_. He's just Harry to me."

Draco fixed his father with a firm, determined look, and was surprised when he didn't see the anger he had expected reflected in his father's eyes. "I love him, and he makes me happy."

Lucius nodded slowly and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders, pulling the young Slytherin closer to him. "Then I am happy for you, Dragon. That's all I want for you, to be happy."

Draco smiled and leaned into his father's embrace, missing the strong hugs he used to receive from the man when he was a much smaller child. He felt like he was perhaps regressing in age a little, but nothing compared to that of a parent's undying love. "I am happy. Very much so."

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a pretty difficult one to write. You all have no idea what I have in store for you! Thank you for reading, and please leave a review to let me know what you think!

**P.S.** I have created a forum for this story! If any of my readers wish to discuss this story with each other or with me, feel free to nip on over there and drop us a line!

.net/myforums/JulzPadfootMoony/1597143/


	37. And So It Begins

**A/N: **Ok, so I definitely lied about the number of chapters left in the first half, but I highly doubt any of you mind that haha. Thank you so much to all my readers and reviewers, and especially my beta and muse Renee. Without her, this story would have died. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the many more to come!

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**Ch 37.  
And So It Begins...**

The Room of Requirement looked suspiciously like Draco's quarters in the dungeons, sans bed and plus a sofa, but Harry ignored it in favour of flopping down into a plush armchair. He let Ron and Hermione take the sofa, and felt himself smiling when their hands laced together. He missed Draco, though the blonde had only been away a few hours, visiting with his father.

"So, what's this super important news you have for us, Harry?" Ron asked, looking slightly smug as Hermione leaned into his side.

Harry sighed heavily. He didn't even know where to begin. Despite being told that no one could know of Dumbledore's waning health, Harry didn't see a way around it if he was going to tell Ron and Hermione about the Horcruxes, and why he was taking over the hunt. He knew Hermione would be a valuable asset when it came to research, and Ron was always willing to help with just about anything. He still felt distinctly resentful that he couldn't tell his parents or Draco, but he had a feeling he'd find his way around that as well.

"Dumbledore has started to give me important information about Voldemort. It's essential to defeating him, but I'm going to need help. That's why he said I could let you guys know. _Only_ you guys."

Hermione sat up straighter, looking ready to take in information like a sponge does water. "Why not your parents, or even Dumbledore himself? Wouldn't they be of more help?"

This was it; Harry couldn't lie to them. "Dumbledore is...ill. He's not doing too well, and he's starting to pass all the information he knows to me so that I can take over after he...goes."

Ron's jaw dropped, and Hermione made a pitiful noise in the back of her throat. "Dumbledore is dying? Oh, Harry..." Hermione whispered, reaching a hand out to rest on his knee.

"I'm fine, Hermione. Dumbledore is fairly ancient, and it was bound to happen. The timing is just a little inconvenient. He's going to start meeting with me nearly every night to share pensieve memories of what he knows. It's more complicated than just information about him, and that's why I can't tell Dad or Remus," Harry said, his words heavy with meaning.

"What do you mean, Harry? Why can you tell us, but not them? That doesn't make sense to me," said Ron, his expression bewildered.

"Because this information is very dangerous, and in the wrong hands, can cause history to repeat itself. You cannot tell anyone about any of this, including Dumbledore's illness. I need your word before I can tell you anything more," Harry said, pulling out his wand. He trusted his friends, but this was too important to not use formalities.

Ron and Hermione both pulled out their wands and made a Wizard's Oath, touching the handles of their wands to the tip of Harry's. Ron looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do, so with a roll of her eyes, Hermione took over.

"We take an Oath of Silence regarding the information you're about to tell us, and the information about the Headmaster's health," Hermione recited. Ron nodded his agreement, and both of their wands glowed a soft blue before fading away.

The room instantly became stuffy, and the silence heavy as Harry tried to figure out the right words. If Ron and Hermione were going to help him with this, they needed to know everything. Problem was, Harry still wasn't sure on a few details himself.

"Voldemort is, essentially, immortal. There are things, objects, which have to be destroyed before he can even be killed. That's why he didn't die when the Killing Curse rebounded on him when I was a baby. Have you ever heard of a Horcrux?" Harry asked, betting that Hermione had at least heard or read the word somewhere.

Hermione gasped and dropped Ron's hand as she stood up and began to pace. "Harry, that is _very_ dark magic. I don't even know the full extent of the magic; I just know it's horribly dark, and that I should never have found out about it at all. You're not saying that Voldemort made one, are you?"

Ron was looking between them, completely lost. Harry smiled humourlessly as he shook his head, frowning when Hermione sighed in relief. "No, he didn't make one. He made six."

"_Six?_ That's completely insane!"

"Would one of you please tell me what the bloody _hell_ you're talking about?" Ron shouted over Hermione's indignant shrieking.

"A Horcrux, Ron, is a piece of somebody's soul locked away for safekeeping. The only way to make a Horcrux is to commit the ultimate act of evil; murder. Voldemort has split his soul into seven pieces; six outside of him, and the last sliver left in his body. In order to destroy that last piece inside him and kill him, the other six have to be found and destroyed," Harry explained, still feeling slightly nauseous just at the thought.

"Bloody hell! But they could be anything, couldn't they? Rubbish on the street, random animals, _other_ Death Eaters," Ron said, his face going slightly green as he thought of all the possibilities.

Harry laughed at the expression on Ron's face. He knew he looked exactly the same way when Dumbledore was explaining it to him. "No, they're not random objects. It would be extremely dangerous to make any living thing into a Horcrux, since they can think for themselves and die. He wouldn't just put a piece of his soul in a piece of rubbish. The objects are things that are important to him, have significance. Two of them have already been destroyed."

"The diary," Hermione whispered, smiling grimly as Harry grinned at her.

"Yes, the diary from the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore destroyed another one as well. So technically, there's four more besides the piece still residing in Voldemort himself. Not quite as daunting as six, but still a little crazy," Harry said with a weak laugh.

"Do you know what they are?" Hermione asked earnestly as she sat back down beside Ron, allowing the redhead to grasp her hand in his once more.

"We have ideas, but that's it. I'm still learning what Dumbledore knows, but as soon as he fills me in, I'll be sure to let you guys know. There's not much time left..." Harry said, leaving out what they all knew was going to happen soon.

"This is really it. The war, it's starting again," said Ron. His face was drawn and tired, and he pulled Hermione close as she shuddered.

From the very first moment they had met on the Hogwarts Express, Ron knew his friendship with Harry would never include a dull moment, and he had been more than right. Now, as they were nearing adulthood, almost finished with school and surrounded by dark forces, it was time they realized that their childhoods were gone.

Harry shook his head, looking straight ahead with determination. That's what he had to do from now on, just keep moving forward, because if he looked back now, he had the chance to change his mind. There was no going back now, and that scared Harry more than anything. "No, the war started a long time ago. It's just time that we finally fought back, finish this once and for all. Time to show Voldemort he fucked with the wrong infant."

S~S~S~S

The rain and wind were unforgiving, whipping at the window panes like many fingers tapping. The humidity was thick, and the air frigid. The stone cellar was dark and dank, with only a weak fire producing any light or warmth. A massive snake was curled tight on the rug in front of the fire, trying to soak up the warmth. In the far corner, where the light didn't quite reach, a man, who looked nothing like a man, sat with his hands crossed over a bone-like wand.

"My Lord, it is high time we move on with this plan. Malfoy's betrayal and the capture of Bellatrix and Greyback are setting us back too much. It can only mean that the Order think they've got us right where they want us. We need to show them that _we_ are the ones in charge."

"Silence, Yaxley. I am well aware of what the Order of the Phoenix thinks they've gained by taking Malfoy in. It is no concern of mine; he knows nothing I care about."

There was a soft hissing sound, and the gigantic snake sleeping by the fire rose from its slumber, sending back an answering hiss before moving towards the armchair. She slithered up the side and wrapped her body around the back of the chair, her neck as thick as a strong man's thigh. Her head came to rest on her master's shoulder, and she hissed contently as a pale, long fingered hand stroked her snout lovingly.

"Have you managed to do what I asked of you, Yaxley? You know we cannot set this plan in motion without him under our command," the snake-like man rasped, his voice not far off from the hissing that had come from his lips moments before.

The tall, balding man who stood off to the side of the fire looked up into cold, red eyes and fought back a shudder. He had no cause to worry this time; he needn't lie, after all. "I did manage, my Lord. After careful manoeuvring and quite a bit of misdirection, I hit him with a quick _Imperius_. He is ours to command."

There was another rasping noise, this one more rhythmic. It took the man a second to realize his master was actually laughing, though the cold sound could hardly pass as real laughter. It was more like a smug hiss.

"Then it is time. I shall call your brethren tonight. Let the Order think they've finally outwitted Lord Voldemort, and let them die when we prove them wrong once more."

The creature sat forward, the dim firelight illuminating his waxy skin, snake-like nose and red eyes. This was no man, but a vile creature, something barely human. This was Lord Voldemort. A sharp nail beckoned the man on the other side of the room forward, and he obeyed at once, extending his left arm. The sleeve was pulled up, and a dark tattoo of an entwined skull and snake greeted its master.

With a smile that was more acid than pleasure, Voldemort pressed his finger to the tattoo, savouring the way his Death Eater squirmed with pain. The sound of Apparition was heard all around them as the creature sat back, stroking the enormous snake reverently as his followers came to answer his call.

S~S~S~S

It was a morning like any other in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The secretaries were dictating to their quills as the filing assistants delivered and picked up files from the various cubicles of the Auror Department. Paper plane memos flew overhead as the sound of quills against parchment, light conversation and quiet laughter was heard. Everything was going quite smoothly, and nothing was out of the ordinary.

The temporary Head Auror, Reginald Barwing, was doing his usual check-ins with the different Aurors, dropping off memos, handing out files to be worked on, and updating personnel on important open cases. When Tonks accepted the Wickham file with a warm smile, she expected to get the usual parting words from her boss, "Wotcher, Dora." Tonks would then respond, "Don't call me Dora if you ever wish to sire another child, Reggie!"

This morning, though, Reggie handed her the file with a serenely vacant expression, and went on his way. Tonks knew there was something up, something out of place. As she looked over the top of her cubicle to talk to her partner, Clancy, he met her half-way.

"Something's up with Reg, did you notice?" Jordan Clancy said in a quiet voice, straining his neck to see the back of his boss's balding head.

"Yeah, I did notice. What does it look like to you?" Tonks asked, the answer already stuck firmly in her mind, only needing confirmation.

"Imperius, or possibly Polyjuice," Clancy responded, his wand held tightly in his hand as he watched the seasoned Head Auror stop a filing assistant to hand off a file.

Tonks nodded slowly, wondering how the Head Auror could have gotten himself in such a mess. "Should we take it up with Kingsley, you think?"

"Definitely."

Upon arrival at the Minister's office, Tonks discovered that the receptionist usually outside of the room wasn't there, and Kingsley's door was standing partially open.

"Minister?" Tonks called as she pushed the door all the way open. She had about five seconds to realize what was happening before Rodolphus Lestrange sent a stunning spell at her. He completed his task of securing the Minister before moving on to his next job.

A full minute passed before Kingsley stepped out of the hidden room behind the bookshelf. He pointed his wand at the decoy version of himself, his receptionist Laurel, and removed the Imperius curse and glamour. "I'm sorry about that, Laurel."

"It's alright, Minister," Laurel said in a quiet voice as she accepted the cup of tea that appeared on the desk before her.

Kingsley bent down beside Tonks, checking her pulse just to make sure. He touched his wand to her chest, just above her heart. "_Ennervate!_"

As Tonks blinked open her eyes and looked up into the face of the Minister for Magic, she knew already what he would say.

"It's begun; Voldemort is attempting to take over the Ministry. I've alerted the Order already."

"Reginald has been compromised already. The Head's of all of the Departments are getting the same treatment as we speak, most likely," Tonks said quietly, accepting the hand that Kingsley held out to help her up.

"Lestrange, in the building! I just saw him, I swear it. I tried to stun him, but he got away," Clancy gasped, trying to catch his breath after running all the way to the Minister's office from the lifts.

"We need to get word to Dedalus down in the Department of Mysteries as soon as possible. Tonks, send a Patronus to Emmeline. She should have clearance to get down there," Kingsley instructed as he waved his wand apologetically at Laurel, erasing the last fifteen minutes from her memory.

"I'm sorry you're feeling ill, Laurel. You may use my floo to get yourself home and rest for the rest of the day."

Laurel shook her head and blinked hard, wondering how she had ended up in the Minister's office when the last she knew, she had been sitting at her own desk outside of the door. She figured that she must be riddled with fever, and it was affecting her memory. "Yes, sir. Thank you." She took a pinch of floo powder and was whisked home by emerald flames in an instant.

Kingsley frowned as he stowed his wand back in his wrist holster, hidden by the sleeve of his plumb robes. "I hate having to do that to her. Clancy, get back to the Auror Department and try to head off as many people as you can, but be discreet. The last thing we need is for them to know we've found them out."

"Yes, sir."

As Kingsley and Tonks waited for a response from Emmeline, a high pitched scream rang through the office. With their wands pulled, the Minister and Auror rushed out of the office, and found a filing assistant unconscious and bleeding just outside of the lifts. The lift she must have come out of was heading down, and Tonks knew where they were headed.

Tonks jammed her finger into the button on the other side to call another lift. Her patience waned, however, and she left Kingsley with the young girl as she sprinted to the door that led to the stairwell, jogging down the many flights until she came to the very last door. She waved her wand, sending her magical signature and the spell that gave her clearance to any Department in emergency situations. The door opened, and she ran through with a sigh of relief to find Emmeline Vance and Dedalus Diggle heading towards the door of the Department of Mysteries.

"We've found out where the potion is being developed. You-Know-Who is a fool, because although the potion is complete, it hasn't been released yet. We have to hurry, before Moreau figures out we're onto him," Dedalus whispered as he used the spell to locate the correct door. He moved through the confusing Department like it was no more confusing than his own home. Tonks _hated_ being here again.

"You're sure Voldemort hasn't gotten his hands on it yet?" Tonks asked, grimacing at the tank of white, congealed brains as they passed through to another room.

"An Unspeakable heard about the potion, and got suspicious and reported it to Human Resources, including paperwork. We think it was someone who was helping, but got scared when they realized what this potion could do. We know every move of the experiment now, and it's not been cleared to leave the room it was developed in. We're positive You-Know-Who wasn't expecting that one," Emmeline explained. She pulled her wand as the sound of a slamming door up ahead caught them off guard.

They were in a small room, doors all on sides, each one smaller than the last, down to a rat-sized door at the very end. Emmeline and Dedalus both sent a spell at two different doors, and suddenly the walls shrank in, so that all the doors suddenly amassed into one on each side. Tonks had to blink a few times as her mind tried to adjust to what she was seeing.

"The left."

"The right."

"Bet you for it?" Emmeline asked, a twinkle in her eyes that caused Dedalus to laugh.

"Ten Galleons."

"You're on."

Each one of the Unspeakables opened a door at the same time, and Dedalus cursed as his hand was scolded by the handle, the door slamming in his face. Emmeline smirked and headed through the door she had opened, her wand still at the ready.

"What was that all about?"

"The Room of Chance. You can't find the way out without a bet or a wager," Dedalus explained in a whisper. Tonks decided that she was extremely glad she was an Auror, and not an Unspeakable. She'd never be able to remember all these strange rooms.

A red streak of light hit the wall just above Tonks' head. She ducked and cast a shielding spell, looking around to see that Rodolphus Lestrange was leading a tall, blonde man through another door. There was a glint of light as Tonks spotted a vial of potion on a thick chain around the taller man's neck. That had to be Moreau.

"Stop them!"

Emmeline and Dedalus rushed forward, shouting a spell Tonks didn't recognize to open the door. She followed just behind, and managed to shield her companions from another stunner. There was a loud bang as the door they had just come through opened once more, admitting Kingsley and Fred and George Weasley.

"This place is wicked," Fred said, an excited gleam in his eye.

"I've always liked jigsaw puzzles!" George exclaimed, sharing a mischievous grin with his twin.

Kingsley ran forward, sending a stunner of his own at the two retreating Death Eaters. His spell caught Lestrange, and the man fell, tripping up the French Potions Master. With a panicked noise, Moreau chose a door at random, and promptly ran head first into a brick wall, knocking himself unconscious. Six different binding spells shot at the two men.

Tonks knelt down beside the Potions Master, pulling the chain from around the man's neck and holding the vial of potion up to Kingsley. "Here we are, boss. The potion with the power to strip magic."

Kingsley took the vial and smiled grimly. He tapped his wand against the glass. "_Evanesco!_" The potion vanished completely.

"The fun is always gone before we get here!" Fred complained, his brother patting him sympathetically on the arm. Tonks couldn't help but laugh.

S~S~S~S

**Unspeakable Potions Master Arrested!**

'_Sources say that newly hired Potions Master Jean-Pierre Moreau, was arrested yesterday after a breech in security in the Department of Mysteries. Though the Auror Department and Minister refused comment, rumours suggest the Frenchman was caught trying to smuggle out a very important, secret experiment from the Department of Mysteries, and was apprehended by the Minister himself. It was also rumoured that the arrest of Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange was connected to Moreau's arrest, though the Minister refused to confirm or deny suspicions. _

_The only response this reporter got came from an Unspeakable, and judging from their statement, the details of this investigation will continue to be kept under wraps for a long time to come._

"_You're not seriously asking an _Un_speakable to _speak_ about a breech in security, are you? I wasn't aware being daft was a requirement for _Prophet_ Reporters. No details are being released at this time. No further comment."_

_The Unspeakable asked that their name not be used for this article.'_

"So that's it, those plans that Lucius went on about are foiled?" Harry asked as he passed the _Daily Prophet_ back to his father, who had a smug smile on his face. He sipped his tea leisurely as Draco scowled at Harry from his spot beside him on the sofa.

"That's it. As Malfoy said, without that potion, the rest of the plans cannot be put into place; though I'm sure we've not heard or seen the last of them. Like Lucius said, Voldemort has the tendency to spring back from a failure quickly. That pathetic excuse for a Potions Master actually managed to knock _himself _out by running into a wall," Severus snorted, tossing the paper onto the coffee table as Remus perched on the arm of his chair. He glared at the werewolf, who only smirked back at him and did not budge from his seat.

Harry snorted into his own cup of tea, just imagining how stupid that man must feel now that he was in Azkaban. "I guess Dumbledore was right. There was nothing I could have done to help."

"The Headmaster is, occasionally, correct when he speaks of such things. Speaking of which, what did he want to discuss with you?" Severus asked, setting his cup of tea aside as he focused his full attention on his son, who looked suddenly very uncomfortable.

Harry sighed heavily, not looking up to meet his father's eyes. "Er...I can't tell you. Dumbledore made me promise not to tell anyone besides Ron and Hermione."

"Why on earth would he allow your friends to know something that your parents cannot?" Remus inquired, his expression quite bewildered as he gave in and sat down on the ottoman instead of the arm of Severus' chair.

"He said it was too dangerous. What he's teaching me, it can go very wrong if the knowledge falls into the wrong hands," Harry said, his tone earnest as he felt Draco stiffen beside him.

"So what, he can trust three teenagers to such dangerous knowledge, but not two adults who are in charge of you? That man has finally lost it," Severus snapped, glaring as Remus frowned over at him.

"What the hell? Granger and Weasley can know, but not me? That's completely asinine!" Draco shouted, glaring at Harry. He hated feeling like, despite Weasley's attitude in the beginning of the year towards Harry, _he_ was being pushed out now.

Harry sighed heavily and scrubbed at his face. He knew this was going to happen, and he still didn't have any idea of how to appease everyone and still keep the secrets Dumbledore made him keep. "Look, Dumbledore knows that Ron and Hermione have been there to help me in the past, and he knew I would need their support to get through this. The nature of this information is the reason I can't tell you three specifically. It's just too dangerous for that many people to know."

"Severus, I have to go. I'll see you in the morning," Remus said quietly as he stood up, looking up at the clock above the hearth. It was nearing sundown, and Remus could feel the pull already. Even with the Wolfsbane, he had no intentions of ever letting these children see him go through the transformation. Harry had already seen it once back in his third year, and it was still one of Remus' biggest regrets.

"Hold on, I'm coming with you so we can talk," Severus said, standing from his seat and giving Harry a dark look. "And we are not done talking either, Harry, so don't even think about leaving."

Harry nodded in a defeated way, leaning back in his seat as he felt the potent glare still coming from his boyfriend. His eyes slowly shifted over, and Draco was indeed still sending him a death glare. Harry sighed. "Draco, I'm sorry that I can't tell you. I really want to, because I could use your help too, but Dumbledore had a point. What he's teaching me, telling me about, it's really dark, and very dangerous if it were to fall in the wrong hands. It already has once, and that's why I'm in the position I am."

"So you can't tell me or Sev and Remus because you think we're going to use this information to what, become the next Dark Lord?" Draco asked in a scathing tone, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"No, I don't think that at all. Dumbledore might have mentioned something like that, but I don't agree with him. The reason I think it's best to keep this as quiet as possible is because it's really scary stuff, Draco. I hate the very idea of it, and I just think it would be best if very few people knew," Harry explained, shrugging as Draco just continued to glare at him. He didn't know what else to say to appease the blonde.

"Well you have fun with your friends then, bonding over the best way to make Voldemort snuff it. 'We'll always be together, no matter what happens'? My arse," Draco snapped, his voice cracking at the end as he finally looked away from Harry. He stood up from the sofa and stalked towards the door, slamming it behind him as he left.

"Draco's sense of betrayal is, I'm sure, very high right now. He asked his father if he could join the Order, and Lucius told him no, but not because of his age. He told him no because he didn't want Draco involved in such things. He wanted him to stay neutral. Draco went off on him and explained that it would be a little hard to stay neutral in the war when he was dating the leader of one side, but Lucius didn't seem to think your relationship was anything serious. A flight of fancy, I think he called it." Severus ignored his chair in favour of sitting beside his son, who was looking extremely distressed and exhausted. A sixteen year old boy had no business looking so worn down.

"I thought Lucius was on our side? How can he tell Draco that he has to stay neutral, when he's not doing the same?" Harry asked, brushing his messy hair out of his eyes as he looked over at his father. The man looked tired, but surprisingly happy.

"Because the fool doesn't have a choice in the matter. His willingness to cooperate is the only thing keeping him out of Azkaban. Draco just needs a little time to calm down. I'm sure he'll be trying to convince his father to change his mind," Severus explained, patting Harry gently on the knee.

"He's almost of age; it won't matter after that," Harry said with a shrug. "How's Moony doing? Er – I mean..." Harry trailed off, hoping his slip didn't cause his father to blow up at him. He still wasn't sure what he thought about Harry's preferred nickname for Remus.

"Harry, I don't mind the nickname. There's no need to worry about how I'll react to it. If that's what you want to call Remus, then I'm fine with it. It's not my business to interfere with your relationship with him," Severus assured his son, slightly amused at the slight look of terror that had crossed the Gryffindor's face. "Remus is doing fine. He took his potion like he was supposed to, and laid down to get some rest before moonrise."

Harry sighed and nodded in relief, unaware of the fact that he had shifted closer to his father on the sofa. "Do you ever worry about him, Dad? I know it sounds horrible, but people with lycanthropy aren't known for living long past forty, and he's almost there. I can't even imagine not having Remus here. It scares me so much to think of losing him."

Severus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him close to his side. The teen had hit right where Severus had been trying his best not to focus on, and knowing that his son was worried about the same thing scared him that much more. "I worry about him every day, Harry. I've been working on a potion for after the transformation, something that will help him heal more quickly and completely. Remus is a very strong man, never doubt that, but I know exactly how you feel. I don't even want to _think_ about Remus not living past..." Severus couldn't even finish the sentence as his heart raced in his chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Harry said in earnest, leaning heavily against his father's side and savouring his warm embrace. It wasn't often he got to just sit and talk to his father, and it was nice to feel this closeness.

"It's alright. It's nice to know I am not the only one fretting over such things, but no more talk of that just now. This thing with Dumbledore, Harry...it sounds extremely dangerous. I think it would be wise if you told at least Remus or me, if not both. What if something were to happen to you concerning whatever this is, and Dumbledore passed? No one save your friends would know what was going on, and their Gryffindor sensibilities would no doubt hinder them from telling us. I am only concerned, Harry. I want to keep you safe," Severus said quietly, brushing the dark locks of hair out of his son's eyes as the teen seemed to melt into his side, relaxing at his touch.

Harry sighed heavily, knowing his father was right. He made Ron and Hermione swear an Oath; there was no way they could tell if something were to happen to Harry after Dumbledore died. He knew if he told one of them, the other would no doubt be informed, but he couldn't help but feel like he was betraying his parents by keeping this from them. The thought of Draco finding out that his parents knew as well made Harry cringe, and he knew he'd have to confide in the blonde as well. Dumbledore hadn't made him vow not to tell, so there was nothing to lose but his sense of security about keeping the information under wraps.

"Can you put up a silencing spell around us, just in case?" Harry asked as he pulled slightly away from the Potions Master and looked him in the eyes, his expression quite serious. As soon as his father had flicked his wand and muttered a spell, Harry launched into his explanation, noting the increasing look of fear and horror on Severus' face. He knew it was a privilege to see the man's face so unguarded.

"Dear Merlin, Harry. I think I understand now why Dumbledore wanted to keep this limited to very few people. That magic is some of the darkest magic there is. I haven't even heard of it actually being used in several centuries," Severus said, still reeling from what his son had confided in him about the Dark Lord's seeming immortality.

Harry nodded emphatically, bolstered by his father's seriousness. He wasn't the only one who thought this was extremely insane, which made him feel much better about his own reaction to the information. "Yeah, and of course it happens to be sodding Voldemort who's crazy enough to do it not _once_ like any other normal evil bugger, he has to go do it _six_ times. Git."

Severus chuckled, though the information was actually more horrifying than funny. He was glad his son could joke about it, however, and wasn't currently breaking down from the stress of such an added expectation. "You know I must let Remus know. I cannot rightfully keep him in the dark concerning his son's welfare."

Harry nodded and smiled, feeling a comfortable warmth in the pit of his stomach at being referred to as the man's son. For some reason, being Severus' adopted son felt much more real than being Remus' son by marriage. He wished the werewolf could opt for second parent adoption. "Yeah, I know. And I'll have to tell Draco, or he'll never speak to me again."

"I think Vows or Oaths will be in order."

"Yeah, I already made Ron and Hermione swear an Oath, so you were right in saying that someone else needed to know, in case something bad happened," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile. He felt slightly stupid that it hadn't occurred to him first.

"We're all here to help, Harry. I hope you know that you are never alone in this, _ever_."

"I know, Dad. Thanks," Harry said, leaning against his father once more, and closing his eyes as the man ran his fingers through his messy locks. He was so very lucky.

S~S~S~S

The first three knocks went ignored. Harry was sorely tempted to just use the password and barge in, but decided to respect Draco's privacy and come back later. As he turned to leave, the portrait opened, and a red-eyed Draco peered out.

"What?" he asked plainly, not opening the door more than a crack or inviting his boyfriend in. He was still terribly hurt, and he was sure Harry could tell.

Harry felt his stomach knot up in guilt at the obvious signs of Draco recently crying. He sighed and moved closer to the door, gently pushing on it until Draco allowed it to open all the way and let Harry in. He gathered the blonde into his arms and held him there, placing chaste kisses on his cheeks and brow. The Slytherin went slack in his arms and held tightly to his robes.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that, Harry. I feel so terrible," Draco cried, his head tucked in the space between the Gryffindor's shoulder and chin.

Harry pulled away and took Draco's hand, leading him over to the bed where he sat down and pulled Draco into his lap. "It's alright. You were upset, and Severus told me it wasn't just with me. I decided to tell Dad about what Dumbledore is teaching me, and he'll tell Moony. It isn't fair that you be the only one not to know, and I really want you there with me, helping me with this. Ron and Hermione will be there to support me, yes, but you can give me a kind of support that they never could. You have to make an Oath not to tell anyone though, not even your father."

"Fat chance of me telling _him _anything. I asked my father about joining the Order, to help out with the war effort and all, but he told me that I'm to stay neutral. I told him he's mad; I'm dating _you_, there's no way I could ever be neutral. He's a bloody hypocrite as well," Draco snapped, glaring at nothing in particular at the memory.

"He also said our relationship is just a flight of fancy, and that it won't last. I pretty much told him to stuff it, and if he'd had a wand, he would have hexed me up one side and down the other."

"Maybe he thinks you staying neutral will help keep you alive. If he does, I think he's very much mistaken. Voldemort doesn't care if you're neutral or if you support the Light. If you're not _with_ him, you're _against_ him; end of story. Your father is just worried about you, especially after losing your mum and hearing what happened to you afterwards. He may be a right bastard sometimes, but he does seem like a fairly decent father.

"Concerning our relationship, he hasn't had much time to get used to it, nor has he seen us interact with each other very much. He knows that you say you love me, and I love you, but he's yet to really witness that love. He'll know one way or the other, that this isn't just some passing phase. Forever, and I meant it," Harry said firmly, leaning down to kiss Draco tenderly on the lips, his fingers sliding through silky blonde hair.

"Alright, I'll take the Oath," Draco said breathlessly after Harry pulled out of the kiss. He looked slightly rumpled, and his breathing was uneven. Harry smirked.

Draco uncurled himself from Harry's lap and reached for his wand, which was on his bedside table. He held it out, handle first, and waited for Harry to touch the tip of his wand to it before speaking. "I take an Oath of silence regarding what you are about to tell me."

Harry's wand glowed blue for a second, then faded away. The Gryffindor took a deep breath, and began to explain. He was glad this would be the last time having to do so, as he felt his heart grow heavy with dread with each retelling.

Draco's expression turned smug, and his smirk was a little unnerving as Harry finished retelling as much as he knew. Everyone else had reacted with horror, yet Draco seemed to be amused, even pleased.

"See Harry, I knew it would be a good idea if you told me," Draco said, his tone unexpectedly gleeful, which only made Harry worry more.

"Why is that?" Harry asked tentatively, fearing for his boyfriend's sanity and almost regretting telling him anything at all.

"Because I've heard of this before, and I might know where to find some more information on it; Malfoy Manor," Draco explained, his expression as smug as Harry had ever seen it. The Gryffindor couldn't help the smirk that spread across his own face before pouncing on the blonde, attacking his lips with fervour.

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**A/N:** Ah yes, a bit of a cliffy, and you'll most definitely want to kill me when you read the next chapter. But fear not! All will be answered in the end...whenever that may be, hehe! Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!


	38. Wools and Wonts

**A/N: **Hello readers! I must first profusely apologize for the abysmally long wait for this chapter! I have been sooooo busy with work and school – and breaking my toe – that I just haven't had time. I hope everyone will stick with me and understand that sometimes, real life must take priority. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**P.S.** As some of you will undoubtedly notice in this chapter, I have used some of JKR's ideas and warped them into something different. I did this for a reason, and I give full credit to JKR for anything you may recognize as her work/wording/ideas.

* * *

**Ch 38.  
Wools and Wonts**

It was another week before Dumbledore called Harry into his office again, and the note had been given to him during potions class. He met his father's eyes, and knew the man had read the missive before Harry had, just by the knowing look in his eyes. He decided he'd make sure his father knew he wouldn't be back in their quarters until after dinner that night, just in case.

"What's that?" Draco asked as he stirred their potion with practised ease. He was very glad to be up to par with his studies now that he was confident he had at least ninety-nine percent of his full memory back. The thought of having to redo his O.W.L.s had nearly stopped his heart when he was still studying to keep up.

Harry looked around to make sure no one else was listening in, and sent a smile to Hermione as he caught her looking down suspiciously at the crumbled parchment in his hand. She smiled back and turned back to hers and Ron's potion once more. "A note from Dumbledore, actually. Our next meeting is tonight."

"And you'll really let me come to the meeting with Ron and Hermione afterwards?" Draco asked, trying his hardest not to glare at the aforementioned Gryffindors on the other side of the classroom.

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco's continued paranoia on the subject. "Yes, Draco, I already promised you I would. I'm just hoping Ron won't try to put up a fight. Hermione won't have any problem, other than asking if it was wise to tell you. Then you can shove it in their faces that you know more than they do about it."

Draco gave him a smug, self-satisfied smile as he added the next ingredient, rose water, and nudged Harry's shoulder playfully. "You really are part Slytherin."

"And don't you forget it." Harry smirked, winking at the blonde as he continued to mince the hellebore. He chuckled when Draco blushed and pushed him again.

"Enough roughhousing, boys," Severus said as he walked past Harry and Draco and saw their playful shoves. Any other time he would have just smiled and let them be, but when dangerous potions were involved, he had to put his foot down.

"Sorry, Dad. Er, I mean Professor," Harry quickly amended, blushing as half the class gasped and stared at him. "What? Like you wouldn't accidently call _your_ Professor 'Dad' if your parents taught here!" Harry snipped, glaring at his fellow students.

Severus just smiled amusedly and moved on to check the other student's potions, taking pleasure in the way his students looked wary of his pleased expression, like they expected him to curse them for laughing at his son. He mentally awarded Gryffindor ten points, just for giving him a good laugh.

S~S~S~S

"Good afternoon, Harry. I trust you've been doing well in all of your classes?" the Headmaster asked with a warm smile and twinkle in his ice blue eyes. Harry had that familiar sensation that he was being x-rayed as he sat in the chair facing Dumbledore's desk. The last time he had spoken to the man, he had said some unkind things, and he felt like he needed to apologize.

"Yes, sir. As well as I can," Harry said, somewhat distractedly. He took a deep breath and frowned, wondering why this felt so hard. "I wanted to apologize, Professor, for the way I spoke to you last time. I was very disrespectful, and I'm sorry."

The Headmaster's smile widened and the twinkle in his eyes became so bright, Harry was sure it would have lit up the entire office if they'd been sitting in the dark. "I forgive you, Harry, as some of the things you said I actually deserved. As you know, a wise old man's mistakes are generally much larger than those of others."

"Now, Harry, the first memory I want to show you is my own recollection of the first time I met young Tom Riddle. I hand delivered his letter as the Deputy Headmaster at the time, which used to be quite customary for students who grew up in the Muggle world, unaware of their magical heritage."

"Wish someone would have done that for me in the first place, though it was quite fun to see Hagrid scare the hell out of the Dursleys," Harry said with a sad little smile, remembering that those Dursleys were gone now, and it was because Death Eaters had been trying to get to Harry. He had no love lost on their account, but every human life was worth something, even if Harry didn't particularly like them.

Dumbledore nodded sagely, gently tapping the edge of his desk with the fingers of his good hand. "Yes, that probably would have been more appropriate, but I must admit that I never thought your family would lie to you about who you were. How woefully mistaken I was."

Harry could not agree with that statement more. He moved forward somewhat excitedly as Dumbledore pulled his pensieve out and sat it on the desk between them, a vial with swirling silver mist lying beside it. He tipped the opened vial into the swirling, ethereal light in the pensieve, and beckoned Harry closer.

"You know how this works, Harry. I'll be right beside you," the Headmaster assured the Gryffindor, lifting a hand to indicate that Harry should go first.

Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for the unpleasant falling feeling, Harry touched his wand to the surface, and was immediately sucked down into an old memory. As his feet hit solid ground, Harry threw out his arms to steady himself, and looked up at the large and looming building before him.

It looked like it had definitely seen better days, and the wrought iron gate that surrounded it was rusty and looked like a good wind could knock the entire thing over. Harry jumped as Dumbledore landed beside him, wasting no time in following the old man towards the gates. That's when Harry spotted the younger Dumbledore, his hair still auburn, and his face less lined. He followed both Dumbledores through the gates and down the path which led to a set of steps. The wooden door looked ancient, and the shape was slightly warped. Young Dumbledore gave it three firm knocks, and then waited with his hands crossed lightly in front of himself.

The door creaked open, and a young girl, perhaps about Harry's age, looked out, wiping her hands on a dirty apron. She paused and looked his plumb suit up and down, her brow creasing in confusion.

"Aye, ye be the man old Loretta said was comin', eh?" the girl asked in an Irish accent that properly matched her Weasley-esque red hair.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, and yes, Ms. Brooks is expecting me," Dumbledore replied with a slight bow and a warm smile.

"In, then. I'll get the Mistress." The girl turned left towards a long corridor and let out a shrill whistle that made Harry jump. "Loretta! Man here fer ya'!"

They were standing in a medium sized entrance hall, nothing like at Hogwarts, and though the outside of the building looked ancient, the inside was plain and clean, nothing too significant. Harry looked towards the staircase and saw children playing, all in matching blue jumpsuits and white trainers. It was an orphanage.

A plump lady with flyaway dirty blonde hair bustled down the corridor the young Irish girl had disappeared down. She sent Dumbledore's suit a flashing look before stopping in front of him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and a firm handshake.

"Loretta Brooks, Headmistress of Wool's Orphanage. Come, come, we'll have a cuppa before you meet the little blighter." She walked back down the corridor, young Dumbledore, his older counterpart and Harry following in her bustling wake. She had that air that reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley, and recognized it as determinedly motherly in nature. The tone in which she spoke of Tom Riddle, however, did not bode well for the small boy.

Ms. Brooks slid behind her small desk, which looked to be in a state of disarray, and rang a bell, which summoned another young girl in an apron. She asked for a tea service to be brought in, then sat down and waved her arm for Dumbledore to take the seat across from her.

"It'll be a mo' for the tea, I'm afraid. Holly there is a new trainee, and as blessed as her little heart be, she's sometimes a bit clumsy."

A thick manila file folder was sitting in front of her looking innocent and plain. As she nudged it accidently with her elbow, she looked down, and made an unpleasant face before pushing it towards Dumbledore.

"I took the liberty of extracting Mr. Riddle's disciplinary file for ya'. Sorry to say that the thickness of it doesn't lie; the boy is a troubled soul," Ms. Brooks said, her tone sad, but her expression wary.

"Why do you say that?" Dumbledore asked as the young girl, Holly, brought in the tea service and sat it very carefully down on the desk between them. She gave an awkward curtsy before quickly leaving the small office once more.

"Sugar, cream, brandy?" Ms. Brooks asked as she poured two cups of tea, stirring quite a lot of cream and sugar into one.

"Nothing, thank you," Dumbledore replied, gratefully taking the offered cup of tea with a thankful nod of his head. He took a deep sip, then set the cup aside, flipping open the manila file folder and looking down at the first page. It seemed to be a report, written by one of the orderlies.

'_T. Riddle caught out of bed well passed curfew, walking the halls while playing with a garden snake. Snake confiscated, T. Riddle sent back to bed with the punishment of no dessert with dinner the next day.'_

There were many such small offences, growing more and more strange and alarming as Dumbledore turned the pages. He stopped when he read a particular one that caught his interest. He flipped the paper around so that Ms. Brooks could read the line he was pointing to.

"This one here states that Mr. Riddle was accused of killing another child's pet rabbit. What evidence did you have for such an accusation?"

Ms. Brooks looked slightly green, her eyes haunted as she remembered that horrible day. "Billy Stubbs, one of the boys who used to share a room with Riddle, got on his bad side one day after commenting on his strange fixation with hissing at snakes out on the grounds. That night, Billy woke up to find his pet rabbit, hanging from the rafters of their room with its neck snapped. Now, I'm hard pressed to tell ya' how Riddle got it up there, but they were the only two boys in the room and Riddle had threatened Billy with revenge that day. Riddle has his own room now, as all of the other children are simply too frightened to share a room with him."

Dumbledore made a noncommittal noise as he turned the paper back towards himself, flipping to the next and then the next, pausing on the very last page of the file.

'_T. Riddle, accused another child of trying to steal his blanket. T. Riddle went quite mad, screaming at the top of his lungs as he scratched the other child viciously. R. Talbot in infirmary for the various scratches on his face and arms. T. Riddle's play time and dessert taken away for a month, and required to apologize to R. Talbot. Psychiatric evaluation needed immediately.'_

"This blanket he accused Mr. Talbot of trying to take, why was it so very important to him?"

Ms. Brooks sighed heavily and shook her head, setting her teacup aside as she rung her hands. It was clear that young Tom Riddle was the cause of much stress in this poor woman's life, and Harry felt extremely bad for her.

"Riddle was born here in this orphanage. Poor wretch of a girl stumbled in one night, New Years Eve in fact, frozen to the core and in labour to boot. We tried as hard as we could to save her, but the cold and the bleeding got the best of the poor thing. She only had breath enough to tell us she wanted the boy named Tom Marvolo Riddle, odd name that, and then she was gone. There aren't many children actually born here, Mr. Dumbledore, and the orderlies saw Riddle as something of a novelty. One of the young girls, Sasha I think her name was, stitched Riddle's initials into one of the baby blankets we used for him. He's had it ever since, and cherishes the thing. He believes it has some sort of close connection with his deceased mother."

"I think I'd like to meet Mr. Riddle, now," Dumbledore said as he finished his tea and stood up. Ms. Brooks stood as well, leading the way out of the cramped office and towards the staircase. She stopped at the first landing and turned to the now-Headmaster, a worried look on her face.

"You're sure this school of yours can help him? I'd hate to just pawn him off on another place that will only make matters worse for the other children attending. He's not a normal boy, but we just can't place what went wrong with the child," Ms. Brooks admitted with a bewildered look, as if she had been working on an extremely confusing puzzle for a long time, and only just realized she was missing some pieces.

"I think my school will help Mr. Riddle quite a bit. Our approach is aimed towards children who are not exactly viewed as normal. He'll have to return here every summer between school years until he is finished with school, of course. However, we do not tolerate untoward behaviour and our disciplinary rules should help Mr. Riddle learn to control himself better," Dumbledore assured the Headmistress with a small smile.

Ms. Brooks frowned as a crease formed between her brows. "You don't cane the children, do ya'?"

"Oh no, never. We believe in firm discipline through lecture, loss of privileges, and instil in our students the best we can the sense of shame that comes with breaking rules, and the honour that comes with following them."

Ms. Brooks looked satisfied with that answer, and continued up the next flight of stairs. She turned down a corridor to the left, and squinted at the numbers on the doors before stopping at one at the very end, room three-thirteen. She gave a sharp knock and entered without any answer.

A small boy with black hair and dark eyes looked up from his lounging position on his small bedstead. He looked annoyed and angry at being disturbed, until his eyes fell on Dumbledore, and widened at his plumb coloured suit. He didn't return the smile that the now-Headmaster offered him.

Harry was disturbed to see that the young Tom Riddle, the little boy who would eventually turn into the creature that was Voldemort, looked scarily similar to the way Harry had at the same age. He knew he had things in common with Voldemort, but this one struck him as extremely more eerie than anything else. Take away an eleven-year-old Harry's glasses and change his eyes to a dark, almost black and they would have been nearly identical.

"Tom, this is Mr. Dumbledore. He's here to talk to you about a special school that you've been accepted to," Ms. Brooks said in a gentle voice, as if speaking to a wild, wounded animal. She turned back towards Dumbledore and gave him a tight smile. "I'll leave you to it then."

Once Ms. Brooks was gone, Dumbledore closed the door and made his way over to a small desk chair opposite the bed and the young boy, who was still gawking at his choice of clothing. "It's nice to meet you, Tom. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore, and I am a teacher at this special school you've been accepted to."

"By 'school' you mean madhouse, right? Because there's nothing special about me according to old Brooks. She thinks I'm barking, but she's the one who's going round the twist, I tell you!" the young boy exclaimed, his face growing red as his anger surged. The nerve of that old codger, trying to send him to some nuthouse!

"By 'school', I mean just that, Tom. It is a special school for people who have a rare gift. Have you ever done anything you couldn't explain, something the other children aren't capable of?"

Tom gave Dumbledore a wary look, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I have. I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt if I want to..." he trailed off, his eyes seeming far away as if lost in his recollections. He came back to himself with a jerk of his head, and met Dumbledore's eyes once more.

"One time when the other boys were teasing me at lunch, I made my glass of milk explode. Brooks thought I just slammed it down too hard. And another time, it was really cold outside during playtime, and I wanted to warm up, so I rubbed my hands together, and it started a fire. I had some nasty blisters after that."

Dumbledore gave Tom a sympathetic look, though his smile was still in place. "These things, Tom, things that others consider abnormal or weird, are actually a gift. You're a wizard, Tom, and my school is a school of Magic called Hogwarts."

The young boy blinked, then stared at the Headmaster for a long minute before scowling. "Yeah, sure, that's what you tell all the crazy kids before you lock them up, right? Pull the other one, old man."

"I can prove it to you," Dumbledore said, pulling his wand out of his sleeve. He peered around the room, and his eyes alighted on the small wardrobe in the corner. With a casual flick of his wand, the wardrobe went up in flames. He watched as Tom made a noise of horror and jumped off the bed.

"Everything I own is in there! Make it stop!" Tom yelled, wanting to run to the wardrobe and save his things, but fearing the heat of the tall flames.

With another flick of his wand, the flames were gone, and the wardrobe stood as it had before, no damage to it whatsoever. The doors were rattling faintly, and Tom was staring at it in fear.

"There's something trying to get out, I think. Open the door, Tom."

The young boy walked hesitantly over to the wardrobe, and turned the brass handle. He leaned down, and found the source of the rattling; a small box. He took it over to his bed, and turned it upside down, spilling the contents across the sheets. A small set of jacks, three playing cards, a little metal cross, and a pink bow lay pell-mell.

"We do not tolerate thievery at Hogwarts, Tom. Return those items to the children they belong to at once. You will also learn how to control these wild outbursts of accidental magic, and magic is not to be used intentionally outside of school. It is against the laws of our world. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Tom said in a small voice, placing all of the items back in the box and sitting on the bed beside it. He looked chagrined, though still annoyed.

"Now, I have the list of all of the items you will need for school here, and a train ticket that will take you to the school on the first of September." Dumbledore asked as he passed the Hogwarts letter addressed to Tom Riddle to the young boy.

"I haven't any money, Professor, and Brooks isn't going to pay for me to go to a magic school. You think she's pegged me as crazy now, wait till I tell her I need money to go learn how to do magic tricks," Tom said with a scowl, crossing his arms over his chest. It was obvious the young boy did not like the Headmistress of the orphanage very much.

Dumbledore pulled a small velvet pouch from inside his coat and passed it to the young boy, who weighed it in his hands with a slight smile. "There is a special fund for children who cannot afford to pay for Hogwarts on their own. I took the liberty of pulling out the money you will need for your supplies. Would you like me to accompany you to buy your school things?"

"No, I can do it on my own. Just tell me where to go."

Dumbledore told Tom how to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and also to ask Tom, the barkeep, to help him pass through the barrier into Diagon Alley. Young Tom looked quite annoyed that the barkeep shared his name, and it was the now-Headmaster's first glimpse into his self-importance. Once he was about to leave, Tom stood up and grabbed his wrist.

"Wait. I can do something else that the other kids can't do, and they make fun of me for it. I'm not sure if it's magic I'm not supposed to do outside of school, either."

"What is it, Tom?" Dumbledore asked, though he had a feeling he knew what it was, from the report about Billy Stubbs' rabbit.

"I can talk to snakes. They find me, whisper things to me. Is that normal for a Wizard?"

The Deputy Headmaster hid his frown, and patted Tom gently on the shoulder. "It is a rare gift in the Magical world, but certainly not unheard of. It is allowed outside of school. However, it would be best if you refrained from doing so around the Muggles, or non-magical folk. It is not normal in the Muggle world, and that's why the children make fun of you for it. I shall see you September the first, Tom. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Professor Dumbledore."

Harry felt a firm grasp on his arm, and was pulled up out of the memory with a head-over-heels spinning sensation. He landed on his bum in the seat across from Dumbledore, who had a much smoother landing as he sat down slowly. Harry had so many thoughts flying through his head, he couldn't decide what to say or ask first.

"We even _looked_ the same," was the first thing that came out of Harry's mouth, and it was in a properly horrified tone.

"As young Tom got older, the similarities became less and less, but yes, as eleven-year-old boys, you and Tom Riddle did look remarkably alike. The most worrying part of this memory, in my opinion, was that fact that Tom had already realized that these strange occurrences were special powers, and had already began to consciously use and manipulate them. His powers were much stronger than an average Wizard of his age, and the amount of control he had over them without any training was extraordinary. The most disturbing part was that Tom knew he had control over other people if he used these powers against them. That, I believe, is when his thirst for power was first kindled."

"Did he intimidate you, sir? He seemed extremely brazen for an eleven-year-old, especially after admitting to his powers. You seemed unnerved. Did you know then?" asked Harry, still quite shaken up about their similar appearances. That he could share something so intimate as his appearance with Voldemort felt like a horrible violation.

"I was intimidated by him, very much so. Did I know then that he would grow to be the creature he is today? Of course not. He was a headstrong boy who had learned to take care of himself practically from birth, much like yourself, and obviously had a need to prove himself. Ambition, as most people who are _not_ in Slytherin believe, is not synonymous with evil."

Harry was quiet for a while as he thought back on the memory, trying to pull out all of the significant things. He still wasn't sure what was so important about this memory, other than seeing that Tom Riddle was sadistic, even as a little boy. "Sir, what am I supposed to be gaining from this?"

Dumbledore gave him a knowing smile, as if he had been waiting for Harry to get to this point, and ask this question. "The box of trinkets Tom retrieved from his wardrobe was full of things that did not belong to him. He had stolen them from victims of his various bullying schemes. They were treated as prizes or talisman for his work. This trait stayed with Tom Riddle as he got older. He took trophies, items that would help remind him of the things he had done. This is important because – "

"Because the Horcruxes are probably those items that he kept. But how do I know what he took and from where?" Harry asked, feeling his heart speed up at the idea of finding the elusive Horcruxes that much easier. He had thought it would be near impossible, but if he had clues, he could solve the puzzle.

"That is one thing we can only speculate about. However, if you pay close attention to the memories I have collected for your benefit, you may see things of significance that Tom takes for himself. I am not guaranteeing that this will lead you to find any of the Horcruxes, but it is the best chance we've got."

As Harry left the Headmaster's office, thoughts of random talisman and trophies Voldemort could have taken swan through his mind. He had no doubt that something had been taken from his parents' house after their murder, even if he didn't take it until after he returned two years ago. Perhaps something from the orphanage, the graveyard in which he returned, even Hogwarts. Harry paused as that thought slammed into him. There could be a Horcrux, maybe more than one, at Hogwarts. After all, the diary had ended up in the school.

Distracted by thoughts of Horcruxes and hiding places, Harry didn't realize the staircase he was walking down had decided to change direction. Though notorious for switching quite unexpectedly, the staircases never changed when a student was nearing the end, lest they fall to their death. This time, however, the staircase was not so careful.

Harry's mind quickly caught up with his surroundings when, as he went to step down, his foot met only air and he began to fall, letting out a load yell of surprise. Thinking quickly, Harry reached up and caught the ledge of the stairs he had just come down with his right hand, hanging on for dear life as his feet dangled. He glanced down and felt his heart leap into his throat as he realized how far he had to fall if he lost his grip.

The stone of the steps was digging into his fingertips, scrapping the skin away as his nails scrabbled to keep holding on. Using his legs to help propel him, Harry swung his other hand up to grasp the ledge as well. Thankful for his short stature and pitiful weight, Harry pushed up with his palms, and heaved his torso onto the ledge, shimming the rest of his body to the steps above.

His breathing was heavy and his heart was still lodged in his throat as he lay exhausted on the steps. In all his years at Hogwarts, he had never known the staircases to change so suddenly. He had not been that lost in his thoughts, had he? Looking down at his raw and bloodied fingers, Harry decided that his own carelessness could not be all to blame for the scary experience.

Fifteen minutes later, as Harry was heading to the Great Hall for dinner, his father caught up with him from the stairs to the dungeons. He felt himself blush at the memory of nearly falling to his death on the sixth floor, and knew it was inevitable that his father would find out sooner or later.

"How did the lesson go, Harry?"

"Pretty good. I learned something quite important, as well as a lot of disturbing things. It was the trip back that nearly killed me, though," Harry said nonchalantly.

Severus stopped in mid-step and turned to his son, a confused expression on his face. "The trip back? From where?"

Harry lifted his hands to show his mangled fingers, and gasped when his father gripped his wrists with a look of utter horror. "I was walking down the stairs from the seventh floor to the sixth floor, and the staircase changed really quickly. I had no warning, and I stepped off the ledge. I managed the grab on and eventually heave myself up. I've never seen one of the staircases do that before."

"That's because the staircases are not supposed to shift until all students are at least fifteen steps away from the place of disjoint! Sweet Merlin, the sixth floor? Harry, you surely would have died if you hadn't grabbed on when you did," Severus said in a shaking voice as he pulled out his wand and started to heal his son's fingers, one by one. He grimaced as he had to re-grow a few nails as well.

"Yeah, trust me, I know. I happened to look down while hanging on by one hand. I'm bloody glad I'm so scrawny and could pull myself up. Why do you think it happened?" Harry asked, flexing his newly healed fingers as his father stowed his wand away.

Severus took Harry's hands and put slight pressure on each finger tip, testing the smoothness of the new skin. He noticed his own hands were shaking a bit, and tried to pull himself together. "I have no idea, but I'll surely be looking into it. There are ancient wards in this castle that control these things. It's bad news if they've been altered. Come, we'll fix your scrawniness with some dinner, shall we?"

Harry glared at the Potions Master slightly, but followed that man into the Great Hall anyways. When he sat down at the Gryffindor table and retold his story to Ron and Hermione, they both looked properly horrified, Ron's mouthful of food on full display as he gaped, and Hermione's hand firmly over her mouth.

"But that's impossible! It says in _Hogwarts: A History_ that the staircases cannot shift until any students walking them are at least fifteen steps away from the place of disjoint!" Hermione claimed indignantly, looking as though she wanted to reach for her copy and point it out to Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes, finding it quite amusing that both Hermione and his father had used the same phrasing to spout off that information. Apparently Hermione wasn't the only one to memorize information verbatim. "Yes, I've been told. That doesn't change the fact that it happened, and I was nearly killed by the bloody castle. My dad reckons the wards might have been altered."

"That is _bad_ news, Harry," Hermione said, her expression quite frightened, which only served to scare Harry even more, and Ron gape so much that partially chewed food started to fall _out_ of his mouth.

"Yeah, he said that too."

S~S~S~S

The Room of Requirement looked much more like the Gryffindor common room this time, and Harry knew it was because Draco would be there. He was still a little embarrassed that the place he seemed to find the most comfort in was an almost exact replica of the Slytherin's personal quarters.

"Urgh, too much red and gold, Harry. I get to design the room next time," Draco said with a grimace and he plopped down on the maroon sofa and held out his arms so that Harry would sit next to him and fall into his embrace.

Harry made no move to pull out of the embrace, even when Ron and Hermione entered the room and took the sofa opposite them. It was time they got used to this situation, especially Ron, who seemed to go a little pink when he saw how Harry and Draco were currently sitting. Harry felt rather than saw Draco's smug look, and elbowed him gently in the side to admonish him.

"So, you had a meeting with Dumbledore before dinner, right?" Hermione asked, apparently trying to break the ice, as they all knew exactly why they were here.

"Hang on, why is Malfoy here, Harry? I thought you could only tell Hermione and me?" Ron asked, his expression not exactly hostile, but not too friendly either. He earned an elbow from Hermione, and glared at her.

"I decided that my family needed to know what was going on as well. It's only fair, and they need to know in case something should go wrong. I know you guys will always be there for me and you'd do anything to help, but I need Draco's support too. We share something much closer than friendship, and I couldn't possibly keep something so big from him. I trust him, and you should too," Harry said firmly, smiling when Draco kissed him gently on the cheek in gratitude.

Ron looked like he might be sick, but Hermione was smiling with a particularly doe-eyed looked that made Harry want to roll his eyes. _Girls_.

"I trust him, and I understand your need to tell your family and all, but what about Professor Dumbledore's order not to tell anyone but the two of us? Didn't he make you take an Oath or anything?" Hermione asked, still giving the Gryffindor and Slytherin a soft look.

"Nope, so he must not have been too concerned about me not telling. Besides, even if he had, I would have made him cancel it so I can tell. It's not right to keep secrets from the people you love."

"Can we just get on with what you learned, Harry?" Ron asked quickly, looking as though the word love associated with Draco Malfoy was the most disgusting thing he had ever heard.

Harry gave Ron a reproving look, but sighed in resignation. He hadn't expected things to be perfect from the go; he'd just hoped Ron would have been a little more tactful.

"Right then. Well, Dumbledore showed me a pensieve memory of the first time he met Tom Riddle as a little boy. He was born and raised in a Muggle orphanage in London. He was an evil little shite back then, too. He got in massive amounts of trouble and terrorized the other kids. I think the scariest part was that he looked a lot like I did at eleven." Harry shuddered, still unsure of why that particular detail disturbed him so very much.

"So he was a lonely little orphan who didn't lead such a charmed life. Not to make you feel bad, Harry, but you were as well, and you didn't go around the bend and start murdering people," Draco said with a look of purest loathing. Harry was sure he was thinking of his deceased mother.

"The immediate difference is that Tom didn't seem very surprised to find out he was a Wizard. In fact, he had already acknowledged that he had special powers, and had begun to consciously use them against others. No eleven-year-old should have that much control over their magic with no training. Evil or not, Tom was a very strong Wizard from the get-go," Harry admitted. Knowing these things about Voldemort felt strange, like he was prying into somebody's life he had no business to pry into. He had to know his enemy, however, especially if he ever wanted to find the Horcruxes.

"But what does this have to do with Horcruxes?" Ron asked, always the one who wanted to get straight to the point. Then again, he probably didn't want to be in the same room as Draco for longer than was absolutely necessary.

"After every time Tom would do something bad to one of the other children, he would take something of theirs, as if it were a trophy. Dumbledore said that he never got rid of this little trait, which means anything he did of significance as he got older had the potential of providing more and more of these trophies. Since we know he only made six Horcruxes, I think he used trophies from his most significant triumphs as an adult to turn into Horcruxes. For instance, the diary Horcrux that I destroyed second year must have been made when he originally opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"But then that would mean that he was making Horcruxes while still attending Hogwarts!" Hermione said, her voice quite scandalized at the thought.

"The Riddle from the diary said he was sixteen. It makes sense, Hermione. Like I said, he was an evil shite at eleven; he had five years to harbour that evil and gain more knowledge before he committed the ultimate act of evil," Harry said with a shrug.

There was a silence as they all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts and theories about the evilness of a teenage Voldemort. Draco was the first to snap out of it.

"But who would he have murdered at Hogwarts to be able to make a Horcrux? I mean, wouldn't a student's death be a little suspicious?" he asked, looking mainly at Harry.

"Not necessarily. The year he opened the Chamber, many students were petrified by the Basilisk's gaze, much like our second year. A death could have been passed off as another victim of the monster. Besides, only one student died..." Hermione stopped as she seemed to realize what she was saying, and shared a look with Ron and Harry.

"Moaning Myrtle!" they all three crowed at the same time, making Draco look at them like they were crazy.

"Who?"

* * *

**A/N:** Ah yes, another cliffy, and this one probably even worse than the last. I would promise that the next chapter won't take so long, but I can't guarantee that, so I'll just say that I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter out sooner. Thanks for reading, and please review and tell me what you think!


	39. Closing In

**A/N: **Hey there readers! I know it's been a pretty long wait once more, and I apologize for that! After this chapter, there are only two or three more to go before the second half of this story begins! These next couple of chapters are pretty intense! Because I have more of them completed this time, it shouldn't take quite as long to post them. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Ch 39.  
Closing In**

"I _said,_ Salazar lives!"

The wall shook with what appeared to be laughter, refusing to expose the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Pansy Parkinson growled under her breath and kicked at the wall, immediately grabbing her toe as a sharp pain shot through it. She was cursing a blue streak when the Slytherin Head of House came down the corridor.

"Ms. Parkinson, why on earth are you spouting such foul language?" Severus hissed, watching as the young girl put her foot back on the floor and gave him a sheepish look. He was sure he was the only Professor in Hogwarts who could inspire this behaviour in his Slytherins.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape. The entrance to the common room won't open, and I've given the correct password at least ten times! I know it's correct, because I set it last week!"

Severus frowned as he moved towards the wall which he knew hid the entrance to Slytherin, pressing his palm against the cold stone. The wall rumbled at his touch, but the entrance still did not expose itself. He whispered the emergency password all Heads of House knew, and the wall slid neatly open to reveal the Slytherin common room.

"How'd you get it to open, sir?" Pansy asked as she glared at the offending wall.

"There is a special password that allows all Heads into any common room in case of emergency. Apparently, it doesn't like the password you've set."

"Well I've had to come up with them by myself all year, considering Malfoy isn't doing his Prefect duties anymore. Sir," Pansy snapped. She had hardly seen Draco all year, and now her one-time best friend was cuddling up to _Harry Potter_. It made her _sick_.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the headache he knew would be coming soon. It was true that he'd been so busy worrying about Harry and Draco that he'd essentially abandoned the rest of his Slytherins. He planned to fix that, and soon.

"You know there are extenuating circumstances that keep Draco from his Prefect duties, Ms. Parkinson."

"Yeah, like screwing Harry Potter," Pansy mumbled under her breath. She apparently didn't mumble it quietly enough, however, because the Potions Master was now glaring at her.

"Need I remind you that Harry Potter is my _son_?" Severus snapped, ready to give detentions until the girl graduated. The nerve, saying something like that right in front of him!

"No sir, I don't think I'd ever be able to forget _that_."

Severus glared at the defiant girl, drawing himself up as he pulled out his wand. He was glad to see the girl cower in fear, be he merely gave it a casual flick in a random direction. "Twenty points from Slytherin."

"_Professor!_"

"You should know after six years of being in my House that talking back to your Head is _unacceptable_, especially while insulting me in the process!"

"But I – "

Severus slashed his hand in front of him to cut off her speech, too angry to do much else. "I suggest you stop speaking this instant, Ms. Parkinson, and go about your business before I take even more points. Oh, and detention this Saturday."

Pansy had a hard time keeping the sneer off her face as she nodded succinctly, then entered the Slytherin common room. The wall slid shut behind her, leaving Severus to stare at the wall. When had his Slytherins started to think it was alright to insult him? And why on earth wouldn't the common room open to the appropriate password? It was time to talk to Dumbledore.

S~S~S~S

"I swear, Headmaster! The portrait was speaking Greek, thoroughly confusing my Prefects and other students when they'd try to get through. Did Severus not report to you the incident in which Mr. Potter nearly plummeted to his death?"

Severus came up behind Professor McGonagall, whose face was scrunched in apparent rage as she glared at the Headmaster, who was simply smiling serenely at her.

"I have indeed informed Albus of my son's near death experience. He claims it was a freak accident. However, the Slytherin common room is now refusing to respond to the passwords that the Prefects set. I had to use the emergency password to allow a student access. This is getting ridiculous, Albus. Something is obviously amiss," Severus said firmly, nodding back when Minerva gave him a firm nod of approval.

The door banged open once more just as Dumbledore was about to speak, causing them all to jump. Hagrid came bustling through the doorway, ducking down to avoid hitting his head. "Headmaster Dumbledore, sir! Jus' had three students bring me ther injured owls, said the Owlery's been blocked off, it 'as!"

Albus could ignore the facts no longer. The castle's ancient wards were malfunctioning, and he needed to get to the bottom of it fast, before any more of the staff or students ended up with injuries. "It seems as though the ancient wards woven into the castle itself have begun to go amiss. I shall look into the process of fixing such a thing. For now, be on high alert and inform your Prefects to be on alert as well. I fear this may not be an easy problem to solve."

S~S~S~S

Remus didn't mind playing what some would refer to as the 'house wife'. He liked cooking, cleaning gave him time to think, and making sure Harry had his school work done before gallivanting off with Draco felt like a privilege to him. What he didn't like, however, was cleaning the soot from the floo off the Persian carpet. Severus insisted it was too delicate to be cleaned by spells, so by hand it had to be. Remus especially hated when the post decided to come through while he was on his knees cleaning the rug, and ended up with a face full of scrolls and envelopes, along with a fresh wave of soot.

Remus grumbled as he stood up, brushing the soot off his shirt and grabbing up the post. He set aside all of the things for Severus and himself, and ended up with a single letter addressed to Draco. He paused as he examined the violently pink envelope, which smelled of cheap perfume. This didn't bode well for the Slytherin. Remus knocked on Harry's bedroom door, which wasn't supposed to be closed while both boys were in there.

"Yes?" Harry answered, sticking his head out the door while Draco quickly pulled his shirt and tie back on out of sight.

"You know the rules, Harry. No closed doors. I don't want to hear it from your father again. There's a letter for Draco, though I would advise him to check it for curses and such before opening it. It doesn't look like his usual post." Remus handed the pink envelope to Harry and made to walk down the hall to his own bedroom, but paused and turned back in time to see Harry sigh in relief.

"And Harry, I think it would be wise to remember that I can smell the pheromones coming off of you in waves. You may be able to dupe Severus, but it won't work on me," Remus said with a smirk, watching the blush stain the young Gryffindor's cheeks as he smiled sheepishly.

"Right...I'll remember that," said Harry. He closed his bedroom door and ducked inside, his cheeks still stained red as he held out the envelope to Draco. "Looks like a creepy love letter."

Draco grimaced at the revolting pink colour of the envelope as he took it from Harry using on his thumb and forefinger. Pulling his wand, he cast a few detection spells over the letter to check for curses and poisons. It came up clean.

"Who on earth would send me something as ghastly as this?" Draco asked as he slit the envelope open and pulled out the lavender parchment that smelled strongly of perfume. His eyes widened as he read, and by the end, he was shaking in rage.

Harry came up to read over his shoulder, and scowled. A girl named Claudia Van Otten was writing to Draco, exclaiming her excitement at their brand new engagement, arranged by her parents and Lucius Malfoy of course. She was a pure-blood from a wealthy German family, and she couldn't wait to meet Draco this summer to plan their wedding. Harry felt ill.

"I'm going to kill my father."

"Draco –"

Draco spun around and glared at Harry, though his anger was obviously directed at the letter and its contents. He couldn't believe the audacity of that meddling man he called his father! "No, Harry, you don't understand. Do you know what will happen if I deny this engagement?"

Harry looked completely perplexed. Draco was acting as though this letter was serious, and not some lame attempt on his father's part to sway him back to heterosexuality. "Er...no?"

Draco huffed as he crushed the parchment in his hands, glaring at the offending pink envelope so hard, Harry was surprised it didn't go up in flames. "This isn't just some simple arranged marriage, Harry. It's part of my duties as a pure-blood Heir. If I deny the engagement, I'll be disinherited and shunned. I'll no longer be a Malfoy."

Harry would never understand pure-blood traditions and how important being an Heir to an ancient Wizarding family was. Draco was obviously highly upset about this, but Harry had no idea what to say to the blonde. "Would your father really do that to you? Doesn't he want you to be happy?"

"Yes, he would do it, as he's the one who set this all up, and apparently he couldn't give a shite less if I was completely miserable! This has gone too far," Draco seethed as he shoved the letter into his pocket and grabbed his cloak from Harry's bed. "I'm going to settle this with him. If it means losing my family and fortune to be with you, so be it, but I'm not letting my father get away with this without a fight."

Harry smiled sadly at the Slytherin as he pulled him into a tight hug, kissing him gently on the lips. "I don't want you to have to give up so much for me, Draco."

"This isn't your decision, Harry. I'd rather be completely poor with no name and be with you, then be a rich Malfoy with a wife and an Heir, just to carry on the name. It's not right, and my father has gone too far this time. I love you, Harry, and I meant it when I said forever," Draco said quietly, hugging the brunette close to his chest. He'd come too far with the Gryffindor to let his father mess things up for him.

"I love you too, Draco, and I meant it too. Do you want me to go with you?" Harry asked as he pulled reluctantly away from the embrace. He'd never seen Draco look so strong and determined before, and he knew without a doubt that he would have his way, no matter what.

"No, this is something I have to do alone, but thank you. I'll be back." Draco leaned in and pressed his lips slowly against Harry's, pouring all of his emotions into the kiss as Harry kissed him back just as passionately.

"Good luck," Harry said quietly as he watched Draco leave, suddenly feeling extremely lonely. He was glad when Remus rounded the corner and gave him a knowing look, opening his arms and welcoming Harry's tight hug.

S~S~S~S

On the way back to his dungeon quarters, Severus saw Draco heading down a mostly unused corridor of the dungeons, and picked up his steps to catch up with the blonde. He was walking quite quickly and seemed to be in a terrible mood.

"Draco? Where are you going, and what's wrong?"

Draco's steps faltered as he looked over his shoulder to see the Potions Master catching up with him. He wasn't supposed to let Severus know where his father was, but right now, Draco was feeling absolutely no good will towards the man who sired him. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he looked around to make sure no one would hear him.

"I'm going to tell my father just where he can stick his stupid _engagement_ machinations, and then probably hex him before going back to Harry."

Severus' brow creased as the blonde's eyes flashed dangerously. Terrible didn't even _begin_ to cover what mood his godson was in. "Engagement? What do you mean?"

"I mean my father has set up an arranged marriage with a German girl that I've never even met, even though he _knows_ I'm with Harry and plan to be so for the rest of my life. He seems to think this is just a phase. I've told you this before. This time he's gone too far! He invoked the Heir's Duty; if I deny the engagement, I'll be disinherited," Draco explained, feeling his heart rate speed up at the idea once more. The thought of not being with Harry terrified him, but he'd never allow that to happen.

"Heir's Duty? Forgive me, Draco, but you know I am not all too familiar with the pure-blood customs, as I was raised by a Muggle father. Elaborate, if you would?" Severus asked patiently, a little irritated that he didn't know about a branch of magic. He was very proud of his intelligence when it came to obscure magic, but he apparently missed the lesson on this one.

"The Heir's Duty is a special form of magic that is invoked when the head of a pure-blood family makes requests regarding the family name, wealth, and overall social and political standing of the Heir. If the Heir should refuse, deny, or ignore the duties, they will be disinherited and shunned. I won't even be a Malfoy anymore."

"Lead the way; I'll be there with you," Severus said firmly, completely filled with rage. How could Lucius do something like this to his own son, to Severus' son? He was sick to death of blood superiority and all of the nonsense that came with.

Draco shook his head and lifted a hand as if to stall his godfather. "No, I want to do this on my own. My father needs to understand how serious I am about Harry, and I don't need a protector."

"Do you intend to allow yourself to be disinherited, Draco?" Severus asked softly, knowing very well that if it were a choice between his wealth and Harry, Draco would choose the Gryffindor. He had enough faith and knowledge of the boys' relationship to be fully confident in that.

"If that's what it has to come down to, then yes. It's time my father learned that he can't control me any longer and that after everything he's put our family through, it will be worth it to drop the soiled Malfoy name."

Severus sighed and nodded, brandishing his hand as if allowing the Slytherin to proceed without him. He knew he couldn't follow his godson into this battle, no matter how much he wanted to. "Draco, do try not to curse your father. As much as I hate to say it, he could curse you twenty times over before you even pulled your wand, and I do not wish for you to be hurt."

Draco rolled his eyes, but nodded his agreement not to curse his father, though that was what he had been most looking forward to. However, he knew it wouldn't solve anything, and would only make things worse, if anything. If he wanted to be treated like an adult, then he must act like one. He set off towards his father's private room once more, formulating his argument as he went.

Once Draco had touched the wall and had his magical signature identified, he started to feel less and less sure of himself. What if his father refused to leave him anything? Surely Severus would take him in and make sure he had everything he needed until Draco could support himself. He wasn't at all as materialistic as most people assumed. If it was a choice between the high lifestyle and Harry, there was no question that he would give it all up for the green-eyed boy hero who stole his heart right out of the blue.

"Draco? I wasn't expecting a visit. Come in, Son. I have some news for you!" Lucius said with a smug smile as he directed Draco to sit down on the edge of the bed while he finished writing across a long scroll of parchment at his small desk off to the side.

Draco closed the door behind him, but remained standing just in front of it with his arms crossed over his chest, not returning his father's arrogant smile. "I've got some news for you too. Just what the _hell_ do you think you're doing, setting up an engagement with some German Heiress I've never met before? For one, dearest father, I'm _gay!_ And two, I'm in love with Harry, and nothing is going to change that."

Lucius slammed his quill down as he stood from his chair, glaring down at his only son. "How _dare_ you speak to me that way? I am your father and I demand respect, boy! It is your duty to provide the Malfoy name with an Heir to keep the line going. I do not care what you think your sexual preference is, or who you're supposedly in love with. You will marry a proper pure-blooded witch and sire a male Heir, or I'll be forced to disinherit you!"

"Don't I have a choice in this at all? You expect me just to do as you command? Well it might have been easy to control me as a child, but not anymore. I'm nearly of age, and it's time I made my own bloody decisions!"

"Of course you do not have a choice! Would you rather the Malfoy name die out with you, the fortune dwindle and disappear because you were too selfish to follow your duties?" Lucius hissed dangerously.

Draco scoffed, glaring right back at the elder blonde. "You're the one forcing my hand in this! If the Malfoy name dies, it will be _your_ fault for stripping me of it! I don't care about the bloody money, Dad. Some things are more important than wealth!"

"You would give up everything, Draco, to fulfil some youthful fantasy and run off with a half-blood who's marked for death by the Dark Lord? The Manor, the vaults, the heirlooms, the name, and _me_; it would all be gone," Lucius said quietly, taking a step closer to his son, proud of the way the younger man held his ground and stood still.

"I don't care if you take the clothes off my _back_; I love Harry, and I plan to be with him forever. So _fuck_ your family name, and _fuck_ your fortune. I don't want anything to do with you anymore," Draco hissed, willing the burning behind his eyes to go away. He firmly believed in what he'd said, but that didn't make turning his back on his father and his entire family legacy any easier.

Lucius stood, shocked that his son was indeed completely serious about his relationship with The-Boy-Who-Lived. If it was so important that his son would give up literally _everything_ for this boy, then it had to be real. This was not a phase, nor a fluke. This was what Lucius had been looking for. He raised his chin and let a slow smirk cross his features, loving the way his son looked fearful and determined at the same time. He had raised the boy well.

"Claudia Van Otten does not exist, nor was there ever any arranged marriage. It was all a test, Son, to see just how serious you were about your relationship with Potter. It seems as though I was wrong, if you're willing to give everything up for the boy. If this is what you want, then I will allow it. However, I do expect an Heir, somehow. You're a creative young man; you'll find a way," Lucius said confidently, holding back his laughter at the sheer shock he saw written across his son's face.

"A test? This was all a test? If you were trying to test my sanity, then it worked! Bloody hell, Dad, I was ready to give up everything, walk away from you and the Malfoy name. How could you ever think I wasn't serious about Harry? You know I don't make vapid decisions." Draco breathed heavily in relief as he sat down on the edge of his father's bed, afraid his legs would give out. He couldn't believe his father had hoodwinked him like that. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised, however; it was a very Slytherin thing to do.

Lucius sat beside his son, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulder and pulling him closer. "I did not believe that you were mature enough to make such a decision, or to have such deep feelings for someone else, especially another young man. I thought that perhaps the threat of losing your wealth and name would make you realize that your feelings were just youthful lust, but I have been proven wrong. I know you well enough to know that if you're willing to give everything up, then you must love Potter more than I could ever have imagined."

Draco allowed himself to be pulled into a loose embrace by his father's side, feeling his emotions go crazy as he thought about the fact that he had almost given this up, had almost turned his back on his father whom he loved so very much, despite his faults. It would have been extremely hard to handle, but worth it in the end when he got to spend the rest of his life with Harry. Now he could have both, and his heart swelled with happiness. He hated that his father had gone to such extremes to finally realize Draco was very serious about his feelings for Harry, but he was glad that it happened, if only to clear the air between them. He had already lost his mother; he didn't want to lose his father too.

"I do love him, Father, more than I could ever try to explain. But I want you to know that I love you too, and I never wanted to have to give either of you up –" Draco was cut off as his father raised a hand to stall him.

"Your loyalty is not in question, Draco. I knew what I was getting into, and I prepared myself for your ire. I love you too, Son. I just hope you understand what you're getting yourself into. You're essentially the Dark Lord's second worst enemy, being Potter's right-hand man," Lucius pointed out.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't _follow_ Harry on the Light side. He doesn't have minions or followers; he has friends and people who care about him and want to end this stupid war. He has equals, and I'm one of them. I do not stand behind Harry, but firmly beside him."

Lucius nodded slowly in acceptance, knowing his son was right in the end. "Well since I cannot dissuade you from putting yourself out there into the thick of things, I will allow you to join the Order, but only once you're of age."

Draco beamed at his father, wrapping him a quick hug before pulling away once more. "You know I turn seventeen in just a few months, right?"

"Do not remind me of how very old I am, Draco. It's uncouth."

Draco chuckled and hugged his father once more, glad that he hadn't been forced to give the man up. He vowed to make sure his father got through this war, so that they would have time to rebuild a proper father-son relationship.

S~S~S~S

"Harry, good to see you again! I hope you're doing ok after the last incident with the staircases?"

Harry sat down in the chair facing Dumbledore, willing the embarrassed blush from spreading across his cheeks. He knew now that it wasn't his fault, what with all of the other crazy things going on in the castle, but it still didn't make him feel any less stupid about the situation.

"Yes, sir, I'm fine," Harry answered, having nothing better to say. He had had to leave Draco, who was gushing that his father had played him for a fool and now accepted their relationship, in order to come to the surprise meeting that his father informed him about upon his return to their quarters.

"Good, good. Well then, I have another memory to show you, but this time it is not my own. I do not know if you are aware, but the Headmaster's portraits all around this room have retained their memories from when they were alive, as well as what they continue to see as portraits. Taking advantage of this, I extracted a memory from my predecessor, Armando Dippet, that I think you'll find quite fascinating. There is another memory mixed in as well, to show the things that Professor Dippet did not see, but are of the same event. I retrieved those from dear old Phineas," said Dumbledore, his smile gentle and his eyes twinkling as ever.

Harry felt a stab of sadness every time the Headmaster smiled at him, and felt like he should be keeping count of how many of those adoring smiles he received before he'd never see it again. Shaking his morbid thoughts away, Harry followed Dumbledore to the pensieve, which was sitting on a low table on the other side of the large office. He watched as the elderly wizard took a vial of swirling memories from a shelf, popped the cork, and tipped it into the pensieve.

"After you, my boy."

After a very short fall this time, Harry found himself standing in the same exact place he had just left, Dumbledore appearing just beside him seconds later. He turned as he heard the sound of a quill against parchment and saw the previous Headmaster at what he'd always thought of as Dumbledore's desk. There was a gentle knock on the door, grabbing the then-Headmaster's attention.

"Come in."

The boy who walked through the door looked much the same as he had when Harry first saw him four years previous, though there were dark smudges under his eyes, and he looked a bit thinner. Tom Riddle was a suave and elegant young man, who had the same air of power about him that Harry had felt the first time he had come across Lucius Malfoy. Harry was also glad to note that there was almost no comparison for likeness between himself and the older version of Tom.

"Tom, what a surprise! Only gone one day and back for more!" Headmaster Dippet said with a smile that was much colder than Dumbledore's, but not unfriendly. He seemed more sprightly than Dumbledore as well, and Harry vaguely wondered how the man had died when he was clearly much younger than Dumbledore was now.

Tom remained standing just behind the guest chair, his expression carefully masked into one of indifference. He brushed off the front of his emerald robes as if being in the castle once more had soiled his clothing. Harry wanted very much to punch him.

"Headmaster Dippet," Tom said with a cordial nod of his head. "As Professor Slughorn might have already informed you, I have been planning on asking for a teaching position here since my sixth year. I feel my time would be best spent imparting knowledge to the Magical children I once was a part of."

Headmaster Dippet's smile fell a little, but he mostly just looked confused at the barely of-age boy before him. "Tom, you've only graduated a day ago, and you've been of age for just a few short months! I require my Professors to have a little more life experience before taking on such a stressful job as a Hogwarts Professor. What subject would you even teach?"

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, sir. I have been the top of my class since I first started attending, and I graduated with honours. My N.E.W.T.s alone qualified me for Mastery. Given that I have been forced to take care of myself for nearly my entire life, I think it's safe to argue that I have more life experience than most Professors already teaching here," Tom said, his voice still calm and careful, though his eyes seemed to darken with every word.

"I believe there is actually an ancient provision against anyone under a certain age being able to teach here at Hogwarts, Tom. It is out of my hands, I'm afraid. Come back in a few years, after you've had time to explore your options, and we shall discuss this again," said Dippet, feeling a little nervous now. He had heard the rumours, listened to Albus warn him about this boy. It seemed they may have all been correct.

"I want to see this provision," Tom demanded, his anger now starting to show through. He had researched for hours in the restricted section, and no mention of any age provisions had ever come up before.

The Headmaster frowned, wondering if he could stall the boy some other way, but the fierce look in his dark eyes was enough to tell him that nothing short of seeing the provision in writing would get this boy to leave. "Yes, yes. The logs are back in my quarters. I'll just nip back real quickly and fetch it. Excuse me for a moment."

Harry braced himself as a strange swirling sensation went on around him. He looked over and saw Dumbledore standing serenely as the world spun. When it was over, Harry was standing on the other side of the office. This must be the second memory, then.

Tom watched the Headmaster disappear through the door behind his desk, smirking when the door closed behind the old man. Glancing to the right, he saw the glint of the candle light reflecting off of a sword; Godric Gryffindor's sword. He stepped over, reaching out a hand to smooth his finger down the side of the blade. The rubies that glittered in the hilt looked like molten fire. He trailed a hand over the jewels, and felt a surge of glee when he felt one of the rubies come loose at his touch. He caught the red stone and quickly placed it in an inner pocket of his robes.

The door to the Headmaster's quarters opened once more, and Tom turned quickly to face Dippet. As Harry watched, he could have sworn he saw the darkness of Tom's eyes flare red for just a second. He felt chills running up his spine. The world around him whirled sickeningly once more, and Harry was back where he had started.

"Here we are. Now, this is written in ancient Latin, but a translation spell should help with that. Ah, yes, this page here." Dippet turned the tissue-thin parchment pages until he came to the middle of the large tome. He pointed his wand at the page, and the letters began to rearrange themselves into English.

"'No persons under the age of two and ten years, which is twenty, shall be qualified to teach magicks at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.' So there you have it, Tom. Three more years and you can apply! Go out and explore the world around you before settling down in a job, son. It's the best course of action," said the Headmaster with a genuine smile. He was glad he had valid reason to refuse the boy who had inspired such dark rumours.

Tom sniffed as he moved closer and read the page for himself. He knew there were special binding spells that had to be performed with Professors, and if he didn't meet the provisions, the binding wouldn't take. He would be back, and he would get that position. For now, he had achieved at least one goal. He fingered the ruby in his pocket with a smile of his own.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I'll be back in a few years, I promise you that."

"I believe you, Tom, I believe you."

Harry felt himself being lifted, and knew the memory was over. He landed again in the same spot he had just left, messing with his head a little bit to see the changes in the office from then and now. The Headmaster gestured for Harry to take a seat.

"Tom Riddle did indeed come back years later, though many more than three, and ask again for a teaching position. At the time, I had become Headmaster, and the rumours and strict knowledge of the man that had fashioned himself Lord Voldemort were no longer a secret. I denied him the position once more, and that was when the curse began. After that, no Professor lasted longer than a year in the Defence position."

"Why did he take the ruby, sir? And did anyone ever notice it was gone?" Harry asked as he looked around the office and saw the sword of Gryffindor hanging on the wall. He squinted and saw that there was indeed an empty spot where the ruby once lay.

"Tom always considered Hogwarts to be more of a home to him than anywhere else, especially the orphanage. I believe he wanted to keep some sort of souvenir, though his intentions may have been dark even then. Headmaster Dippet did not discover the missing ruby until months later. None of the portraits around the room gave any indication that they'd seen anyone take it, either," said Dumbledore, looking in direction of the sword as well.

"But didn't Phineas see Tom take it?" Harry asked, his eyes trailing over to the empty portrait beside the sword. The past Headmaster must be visiting his other portrait at Grimmauld Place.

Dumbledore gave Harry a knowing look and smiled. "Indeed he did, but he never saw fit to release that information until I asked him for that memory. Perhaps he saw more in the boy than anyone else did, and never considered the consequences of Tom's thievery."

Harry sighed, keeping himself from glaring at the empty portrait. Of course Phineas Nigellus wouldn't report Voldemort; he supported his ideals. "So you think that Voldemort might have turned the ruby into a Horcrux at some point?"

"Yes, I do believe so. I also believe that the curse on the Defence position lies within that ruby as well. However, I can only speculate where the ruby might be," Dumbledore answered, tapping his fingers idly on the desk while he thought.

"Speculations are better than no clue, I guess," Harry said with a humourless laugh, feeling the weight of finding and destroying these Horcruxes grow heavier and heavier.

"Indeed they are, my boy. After Tom was denied the Defence position the first time, he surprised all by wasting his talents to work for Borgin and Burke's down Knockturn Alley. He worked as a buyer, convincing people to part with their beloved dark artefacts and bringing them back to the shop. He worked there for almost a year before completely disappearing. No one knows where Tom was at the time, but when he re-emerged, he had already begun to demand he be addressed as Lord Voldemort."

Harry sighed heavily and nodded his understanding, the meeting coming to an obvious close as Dumbledore secured the pensieve once more. "A ruby...it'll be like an evil needle in a giant magical haystack," Harry groaned. He indulged the Headmaster with a grin as the elderly man chuckled.

S~S~S~S

"Well, at least you know what one of the objects is. Now you just need to figure out _where_ it is," Ron said with a confident nod, ignoring the way Draco was glaring at him from his position beside Harry. Ron had gotten to the Room of Requirement first, and made sure every surface was annoyingly red and gold.

"Yes, if only it were as easy as it sounds. I need to start keeping track of all of this, because I have a feeling it's all about to become jumbled in my head," Harry said with a frown, pulling Draco close and snuggling into his warm embrace. He smiled as the blonde placed a chaste kiss on his lips, rolling his eyes as Ron made a retching sound.

"I've been writing it all down, Harry, don't worry. If all else fails, you can always view your memories in a pensieve to refresh the information. Personally, I think you're going to find the ruby either here at Hogwarts, or at Borgin and Burkes," said Hermione, pulling out a notebook to write down what Harry had just told them about the ruby from Gryffindor's sword.

"Why here at Hogwarts?"

Hermione finished writing before looking back up at Harry, the blazing look in her eyes that was present when she was working on a particularly challenging school project lighting her eyes up. He knew she would be invaluable to this search.

"Because it makes sense. Like Dumbledore said, he considered Hogwarts to be a home to him, far more than anywhere else. Not only that, but because the ruby is connected to Gryffindor, which makes it also true that he'd want to hide it within the castle. He even had the opportunity to do it when he came back to ask for a job the second time."

They all seemed to be deep in concentration when Draco broke the silence in the room. "We've determined that the Dark Lord must have been using significant deaths in order to make these Horcruxes, correct? Well, whose murder would he have used for the ruby?"

Harry's brow wrinkled as he thought that question over. Draco had a point, there. Those missing years in which Tom Riddle had changed from an enigmatic young man, to the Dark Wizard Lord Voldemort were extremely important, but so shrouded in mystery that Harry had no idea where to start. He knew he needed to find out what had happened in those years in order to unlock the answers he was searching for. He had no idea how he was supposed to go about doing that, however.

"I'm never going to figure all of this out. Dumbledore is crazy for thinking I can. If he's yet to figure it out, there's no way I'll be able to," Harry complained, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes and warding off a headache.

Draco clasped his hand and squeezed it reassuringly, pulling Harry's hand away from his eyes and kissing him gently on the forehead. "We'll help you figure this out, Harry. You're not alone in this."

Ron and Hermione agreed with hasty nods, earning a grateful smile from Harry. He was about to suggest they all head to bed when a loud klaxon-like wailing startled them all.

"What the –?"

Ron was cut off as the sound repeated itself. Harry looked around the room and felt his breath hitch as he saw the wall behind them, and the wall in front of them begin to move in on them. They were inching closer and closer, the sound of stone scraping on stone making his ears ache and his teeth clench.

"The walls are closing in. Everyone think quickly about requiring the room to stop," Hermione instructed as she and Ron stood from their seats. Harry and Draco copied their movements, but after about thirty seconds of frantic thinking, the walls were still moving in closer and closer to them. When one of the tables toppled over and began to slide along the floor with the moving wall, Harry raced towards the door.

The door, however, was nearly obscured by the wall closing it off. Harry wrenched at the handle and threw the door open, squeezing out through the ever-shrinking crack in the door. He sighed in relief as Draco and Hermione quickly followed. Ron, however, was stuck. His tall frame and slightly larger build could not fit through the frighteningly small opening now. Harry began to panic.

"Ron, stand back! I'm going to try to blast through the wall here to make a bigger opening!" Hermione called as the opening in the door was almost completely closed off.

"Hermione, _hurry!_" Ron's muffled voice shouted through the sound of stone on stone.

Fixing her wand at the wall just to the right of the door, Hermione shouted while brandishing her wand. "_Reducto!_" Her hands shook uncontrollably.

Harry and Draco ducked as stones and plaster went flying through the air. The air was filled with dust as Ron sprinted from the blast in the wall, running straight into Hermione's arms, whose eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. They all jumped as a shrill voice came from down the corridor.

"_What_ in Merlin's name is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall asked derisively. The wall was in shambles, and the door to the rumoured Room of Requirement want hanging from its hinges. Three Gryffindors and one Slytherin stood covered in the dust and plaster from the blast.

"Professor McGonagall! We were all just sitting in there talking when the walls started to close in on us. Harry, Draco and I managed to squeeze through the door before it closed off, but Ron couldn't make it through. I had to do something before the walls crushed him to death!" Hermione said, her voice sounding quite hysterical as she realized how much damaged her spell had inflicted on the corridor.

The Gryffindor Head of House look into the room through the knocked-out wall and saw that, had Ms. Granger not acted as quickly as she had, the youngest Weasley son would have been crushed. The walls had stopped with only about a foot between them.

"I will be reporting this to the Headmaster, of course. This has gone quite far enough. Now, ten points from Gryffindor for destroying school property. However, I think fifty points are in order for saving a fellow student's life from the craziness the castle has erupted into. It's nearly curfew; return to your rooms at once, and please pay careful attention to the staircases," Professor McGonagall said with a stressful sigh and walked away, back towards the Headmaster's office.

The four students stood together in the corridor, still too much in shock to make much intelligent conversation. Hermione was fussing over Ron, and Harry was clutching Draco close to him as the blonde looked blankly at the destroyed wall.

"I vote we talk in a very wide open space next time. Like outside, where there aren't any walls," Ron suggested, his voice very close to a croak as the colour slowly returned to his pallid cheeks.

"We could use the Quidditch pitch and put up privacy charms so no one can see or hear us?" Draco suggested as he was snapped out of his reverie by Ron's shaking voice.

"Deal," Harry and Hermione said at the same time with a worried glance.

S~S~S~S

The four Heads of House and Hagrid were seated in front of the great oak desk in the Headmaster's office. A tense silence had stolen the air after Dumbledore had shouted for them to all cease their shouting and complaints at once. He knew without a doubt that this could go on no longer, but the alternative was nearly as insane at letting the mayhem ensue.

"How many more children must face death before this is properly taken care of, Albus? Anthony Goldstein was nearly thrown from the Astronomy Tower this evening after his telescope seemed to be possessed and grabbed hold of his robes. Professor Sinastra and three other students had to pull him up from the ledge of the castle! And I have already informed you of the mishap with the Room of Requirement and Mr. Weasley."

Severus' head snapped around to stare at Minerva, who was red in the face and as close to losing control as the Potions Master had ever seen her. "Mr. Weasley? Were Harry and Draco there as well?"

"Yes, Severus, but they're both fine. Ms. Granger is, however, traumatised after having to befoul the castle and blast a wall open to save her significant other from a very horrible death indeed. We are supposed to be protecting these children, Albus, keeping them out of harm's way! We cannot focus on the war outside of these walls if we cannot control the one taking place within them."

Dumbledore raised his good hand to stave off anymore conversation, ignoring the glares he received. "I agree, Minerva. After much research and experimentation, I have determined that the ancient wards protecting this castle have grown senile, and are confused. As you all know, Hogwarts castle is not just stone and mortar, but a sentient being in itself. The castle is recognizing the threats outside of the walls, but because of its confusion, it has begun to attack those _within_ the castle. The only way we can remedy this situation is to completely strip the wards and reapply them."

"But Albus, some of these wards are so dreadfully ancient that they're not in recognizable languages, some even in runes!" Professor Flitwick squeaked from his chair, stacked high with cushions so that he was on level with everyone else.

"Yes, I am well aware. I have already talked with Professor Babbling about deciphering the Ancient Runes, as that is her expertise. The wards are not only ancient and extremely hard to recast, they also take a very long to time to strip and replace. The most disturbing detail is that the castle cannot contain a single living being or creature during the process. Hogwarts will need to be evacuated," said the Headmaster, nodding in agreement as the Professors gasped and exclaimed their disbelief.

"But what of the students? We're damned if we do, damn if we don't. We cannot let the castle continue to put these children in danger, but we also cannot just send them off," Professor Sprout said from her seat beside Severus.

"I quite agree, Pomona. I have begun to devise a plan in which we will not have to send the students home, but otherwise keep them outside of the castle during the time it takes to replace the wards."

"And how do you suppose we do that, Albus?" Severus asked incredulously, wondering what harebrained scheme the Headmaster had come up with now. This was all a bit daunting, and the stress level in the room was so thick that it was hard to breathe.

"Well, let's just say that those of the students who have never been camping before are about to receive a crash course in the activity," the Headmaster said with a wan smile, his eyes twinkling as the Heads of House shared looks of concern.

* * *

**A/N:** Ah yes, a cliffy. If you've been reading this story from the beginning, you're obviously well aware that I just love leaving you all in suspense! Have no fear, all shall be explained soon! I hope you all had a good Halloween, and are gearing up for Turkey Day here in a few weeks (if you live in the US). Please review and let me know what you think so far!

**P.S.** I have a very important favour to ask of you all! In a review, please tell me what you think a good boy's name and good girl's name would be for a baby of magical heritage. There is a reason for this madness that you will all find out soon enough! Thanks!


	40. Sticks and Stones

**A/N:** I'm SO SORRY it took so long to get this chapter out! I've had major writer's block, and starting a new job while going through finals at school has been insane. I'm on break now, so I should have more time to write and edit. Please forgive me for the long wait, and I hope you enjoy! Only a chapter or two left before 'part two' starts!

* * *

**Ch 40.  
Sticks and Stones**

Hermione Granger was not your average girl. She was a witch, of course, but she was not your average witch, either. Not only was she highly intelligent and diligent in her studies, but she was also extremely practical in every other aspect of her well organized life. She had a routine that she followed almost every day, unless something came up with Ron or Harry; she'd always make time for her best friend and newly reinstated boyfriend.

She woke almost with the sunrise and showered before her dorm mates could use all of the hot water. Deciding what books she would need for classes and studying purposes, Hermione would pack her book bag accordingly, and carry it down to breakfast with her. Upon loading her plate with the proper servings of each food group, the Gryffindor would then retrieve one of her books, and commence studying until Ron and Harry showed up for breakfast as well. If it was a weekday, she would head off to class at least ten minutes early, and if it was a weekend, she would head straight for the library after finishing her breakfast foods.

So on Saturday when she was on her way to the library for her morning study session, she was surprised to be hailed and called aside by her Head of House. She dutifully followed the Professor into the staff lounge, frowning in confusion when she met all of the other Prefects already inside and waiting patiently. Hermione sat beside Ron with a puzzled look, which he returned with a shrug.

"I've called you all here this morning because we have an emergency situation on our hands. I am sure most, if not all of you, have noticed the disturbances in the castle as of late. These strange occurrences have been analysed and it is of the opinion of the Headmaster and all four Heads of House that the castle must be evacuated in order to strip and reapply the ancient wards that protect this school."

A shocked silence greeted Professor McGonagall's words as all the Prefects gaped at each other. Evacuation? It was only just March; were they being sent home early? _Without exams?_ Hermione was horrified!

"Headmaster Dumbledore has arranged a plan to evacuate everyone from the castle by Monday morning. However, no one is being sent home early. Your classes will be on a hiatus for a month, the time in which this process will take, but each teacher will assign a special project for you to work on during that time. As for living space..."

The Deputy Headmistress looked as though she didn't exactly approve of what she was about to say, with her lips thinned and her back rigid. She met Hermione's eye and relaxed a little at her gobsmacked expression. Of course the dear girl was horrified; no classes for a month!

"A temporary camp ground of sorts will be set up on the Quidditch pitch, protected by every ward the school and Ministry can throw at it. Two students will be assigned to a tent, same-sex, but different Houses. Not only will this be a good time to get to know your peers and learn to work together in hard situations, it is a good time to learn that those from other Houses are not our enemies, but our brethren and equals."

Large stacks of parchment went sailing to each Prefect and the Head Boy and Girl. Ron grimaced at the idea of paperwork, while Hermione started shuffling through them quickly. Just as Professor McGonagall was about to explain, the door opened and revealed none other than Draco Malfoy, his Prefects badge gleaming on his chest.

"Sorry for being late, Professor. I just received the go-ahead from the Headmaster and Professor Snape to resume my Prefect duties," Draco explained as he sat on the other side of Hermione and beside Pansy, who was giving him a look of disdain as she dropped the heavy stack of parchment in front of him.

The Gryffindor Head of House nodded in acceptance and turned back to her parchment, most likely wondering where she had left off. This had all been hacked together so quickly, she felt extremely scatter-brained and unprepared. "Ah, yes. These are lists of the projects each Professor has assigned. They are separated by year and subject. Please post them in your common rooms and be prepared to answer questions. I've provided extra copies of each for studying purposes."

She hefted another, smaller stack of parchment and passed it out amongst the students. "These are the lists of tent partners. Please post them in the common rooms, Great Hall, and any other corridor you see fit. The Headmaster will be making an announcement tonight at supper to the rest of the school, and give instructions to have everything packed by Sunday evening. Are there any questions?"

Hermione raised her hand immediately, earning a groan from Ron and snickers from a few of the other Prefects. "Yes, Professor. Who will be in charge of everything? I know the combined powers off all the Professors must go into the spell-work of reapplying the wards, hence the reason for no formal classes."

"Right you are, Ms. Granger. The Head Boy and Girl will be in charge and will be able to report to the Heads should they need to. You as Prefects are also in a position of authority, and I expect stand-up behaviour and applying of the rules to keep your peers in check. Of course, other staff members who cannot help in this process will also be there to help keep an eye on things."

"Where will we eat?" Ron asked, ignoring the way Hermione tsked and rolled her eyes at him. Food was very important, and not just to him! He saw a few of the other Prefects agree with that question.

"There will be a temporary mess hall set up, as well as restroom and hygienic facilities. The house elves must also be evacuated from the castle, so they will have their own area as well. A reminder; no living creature can be within the castle during this process. That said, all students must take their pets with them and watch after them appropriately. The wards around the pitch will keep them from escaping into the forest or anything else from creeping onto the pitch and feasting on said pets. Post owls will be sent to the Hogsmeade post office for the time being, and a collection will be made to send letters out every few days."

"What if we don't like our tent partners?" Draco asked, positive he was going to get stuck with Weasley or that prat Smith.

Professor McGonagall smirked – actually _smirked _– and tapped the parchment pointedly in front of Draco. "I dare say you already quite like your tent partner, Mr. Malfoy. However, if anyone should not like their tent partner, they will simply have to get over it. The point in splitting up the Houses is to create unity and understanding amongst all of you."

Draco looked down at the list, finding his name and following the column over until he saw that he would be rooming with – _Harry!_ He smiled at the Gryffindor Head of House and blushed slightly as the other Prefects caught on to the hidden meaning by checking their own lists. Hermione giggled while Ron groaned.

After everything was hashed out and discussed, the Prefects took their large piles of parchment and filed out of the staff room. The only two people left were Professor McGonagall and Draco, who waved his wand to make sure the door was properly closed behind the last Prefect.

"Professor, I had another question, but I couldn't ask in front of everyone. What about my father? Where will he be staying?" Draco asked quietly, still a bit paranoid about anyone else hearing that his father was currently in the castle.

The Deputy Headmistress looked up at the blonde with a curious expression before finally realizing who exactly the boy was. "Ah, Malfoy. Well, I'm actually not sure, to be quite honest. I'd ask either Professor Snape, or Headmaster Dumbledore about that. If you'll excuse me?" The witch left the room in a hurry, leaving Draco to glare after her.

S~S~S~S

The castle was in disarray after the notices went up and the announcements were made for the move out onto the grounds. Students were complaining about their tent mates, having to camp outside like animals – that one had been Pansy Parkinson – and even some celebrating about the hiatus on classes. Professors were scrambling to get their projects finalized for their students to complete during the hiatus, and house elves were working overtime, helping to set up the make-shift camp ground on the Quidditch pitch with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall.

Meanwhile in the Snape household, Harry was being taught every warding and protection spell under the sun by both of his father's, completely exasperated by the level of their worry for him. Draco had even started in, adding in a few spells that he had taught himself that bordered on being dark magic.

"Really, Dad, I'll be fine out there. It's not as if I'm ever going to really be alone at any point, and the pitch is being warded like crazy. Stop worrying so much," Harry insisted as he plopped down on the sofa, exhausted from having to learn a whole barrage of spells in such a short amount of time.

The Potions Master sat beside Harry, frowning at the boy's nonchalant attitude towards his safety. It was clear his son didn't realize just how much danger he would be in outside of the castle's walls. "We are only making sure that you're learning to take the necessary extra precautions to protect yourself. It may not have occurred to you, but there are indeed a few of your classmates who are Marked Death Eaters, and will try to use this opportunity to get at you. With the severe lack of supervision that will be taking place, you are in more danger than I think you're properly aware of."

"What he's trying to say," Remus said as he entered the sitting room from down the hall and sat down beside Severus, "Is that we just want to make sure you're safe, Harry. We won't be able to watch over you as much as we would like, so it's up to you to be extremely aware of your surroundings. Besides, give us some credit; you may not be an infant, but we are essentially new parents, and we worry every time you step outside our home just to walk the halls."

Harry blushed at the open look of pure adoration and worry on Remus' face, and the way the Potions Master nodded his agreement. He'd never felt so truly cared for in his life, that he could remember at least, and it felt wonderful. Something Remus said made him think quite a random thought, however, and after studying his parents for a minute or two, he decided to voice it.

"If it were possible, would you guys want any more children? Like one that's a baby and not nearly a grown adult?"

Severus' eyebrows disappeared into his hair as Remus choked on a sip of tea beside him. To be quite honest, Severus had never really thought about having any more children. He'd never seen himself as a father before, and even taking care of a teenager had its trying moments, granted that the teen _was_ Harry Potter. Severus looked over to see if Remus looked quite as thrown as he did, and felt his stomach drop as he saw the openly curious expression on his husband's face. Obviously, they indeed did _not_ share the same feelings.

"Well, I did always imagine what it would be like to raise a child from infancy. I knew I could never really have that though, seeing as people with Lycanthropy aren't supposed to reproduce. I would never damn a child to having this affliction," said Remus, a sadness in his eyes that made Severus' throat tighten uncomfortably.

They were thirty-six year old men in the midst of a war against evil forces, supporting and essentially raising the person who was supposed to end said war, not to mention their jobs as Professors left them very little time to even see each other, let alone attend to a young child. But the earnest expression in his husband's eyes tore everything else away, and made Severus want to fix it any way he could. When he truly let himself think about it, raising a child from infancy to adulthood was much like watching a potion mature. Something he made with precise handling and hard work, changing and turning into something strong and powerful under his care and protection; it actually sounded quite wonderful.

"If there were some way, Remus, would you truly want another child?" Severus asked quietly, ignoring the way Harry gasped. Clearly, the boy had no idea the can of flobberworms he was opening with his question.

Remus was too stunned to even answer the question properly. Was the man actually thinking of the idea of raising a child appealing? He had never pegged Severus as the fathering type, though he did do quite a good job with Harry and Draco. "Severus, what do you mean?"

"I mean...what if I told you that I knew a way? And also, there have been cases of children born to Lycanthropic parents, and they turned out quite healthy, without the affliction. Do you truly want to have a child of our own?"

"Do you?" Remus asked on an exhale, unaware that he had been holding his breath.

"I might have a slight interest, not that I don't think of you as every bit my son, Harry," Severus made sure to reassure the boy, who was grinning at the two Professors.

"I know, Dad. I _have_ always wanted a sibling..." Harry offered with a cheeky grin, earning a smile from Remus and a chuckle from Severus.

"Well, it's obvious the subject is up for discussion, but I think right now is not the proper time to make a decision. Wizards live to be hundreds of years old; we've plenty of time at our considerably young ages," Severus said, glad when Remus nodded in agreement. Perhaps the timing was not right, but the odds of another child in his future seemed to be quite high.

S~S~S~S

Monday morning approached, and with it came a strong up-surge of heartburn and lack of sleep for the Hogwarts Professors. Knowingly handing their students tents and sending them on their way to fend for themselves for a month, so to speak, had them all on edge and dreading what they would find at the end. Most predicted dead bodies and mayhem.

Severus and Remus were especially worried about their son and godson, on Severus' part. They were both in grave danger, should anything happen to the wards protecting the Quidditch pitch or surrounding grounds. The weakest spot was the Forbidden Forest, in which the students would be allowed to travel once a week to work on their Potions project. Severus considered exempting Harry and Draco from the assignment, but Dumbledore had vetoed the idea. Severus was not happy with the Headmaster at all.

Harry and Draco were both packed and ready to go. Harry was excited to finally get to go camping, considering the Dursleys had never taken him along on their trips before. Draco, on the other hand, had a long list of complaints. When Harry described to him what camping would be like _without_ magic, Draco let it go, for the most part.

Harry had heard an earful from Ron about having to room with Zacharias Smith, as well as more veiled complaints from Hermione about her tent-mate being Pansy Parkinson. Harry predicted that things would not end well, having those two girls together in one tent. There had been an awkward moment when the tents had been handed out in which Draco and Pansy had accidently touched hands. Pansy blushed so brightly, Harry was sure her hair had even gone red. Draco had just smirked and walked away, earning a scowl from Harry. The Gryffindor was no idiot; he knew Draco had _all_ of his memories back, including his past relationship with the Slytherin girl.

"Don't taunt her, Draco. That's not fair," Harry whispered as the blonde brought their rolled up tent over to Harry, who was waiting for him at the doors to the Great Hall.

Draco rolled his eyes as he charmed both his and Harry's trunks to follow them out of the oak doors leading to the grounds. All living beings had to be evacuated from the school by noon in order to start the stripping of the wards, which in itself would take two full weeks.

"I wasn't taunting her, Harry. Besides, she's the one who blushed like a pathetic thirteen-year-old virgin, not me. I was just being nice," Draco insisted, scowling when Harry smacked him on the arm.

"Draco! You know, I'm still a virgin too. Does that make _me_ pathetic?"

"I would debate the truthfulness of that statement," said Draco, chuckling when Harry blushed beside him, his own grin taking over his face.

"Well, define virgin, then," Harry demanded, smirking as Draco leered at him, ready to launch into his definition. He never got to explain, however, as the Potions Master and Defence Professor caught up with them.

"We've asked to be able to check on the both of you every once in a while, and you'll have full access to our tent, should you ever need us," Severus explained, rolling his eyes at the word 'tent'. Really, their tent was more like a portable hotel suite.

"Your guys' tent will also be exempt from my class project. However, that does not mean that you do not have to participate as a part of your group still. It only means that no one will be allowed to try to dismantle the wards on your tent, not that any sixth year could manage such a thing anyways," said Remus, walking alongside the Potions Master carrying their own tent.

"Severus, what about my father?" Draco whispered as they got closer to where the students and Professors must split ways. The Quidditch pitch was separated into four different sections; students, Professors, mess hall and restrooms, and the house elves' living space, which resembled a large beige marquee. The Professors were closest to the castle.

"He's safe, outside of the castle. I cannot tell you more than that, because he's under a Fidelius to which I am not the Secret Keeper. I suggest you talk to Professor Dumbledore if you'd like to see your father," Severus admitted, sighing heavily as the blonde frowned and nodded his acceptance. It was clear that, despite everything the man had done wrong, Lucius Malfoy was still a very important part of Draco's life.

The Quidditch pitch was teeming with students trying to set up their tents and attempt their first try at expanding the insides. Some were having a hard time with setting the tent itself up, never mind altering the interior. Harry was glad he at least knew how to set up a tent, because he was sure Draco had no idea. As he set the canvas down and began searching for the right poles, Draco huffed and pulled out his wand.

"_Erectus!_ Really, Harry. Do you even remember that you're a Wizard?" Draco asked as he rolled his eyes and entered their tent, scowling at how tiny it was. He immediately began measure how far he could extend the Wizard's space without altering the outside appearance of the tent.

Harry glared at the blonde and directed their trunks to sit off to the side while he began doing his own measuring to help with the altering spells. "I had no idea there was a spell to set up tents, thank you very much. How did _you_ even know?"

"Wizards _do_ go camping, Potter. I was at the Quidditch World Cup too," Draco retorted as he began incanting his first spell, heightening the ceiling of the tent to double what it was originally.

"It's not the same as camping without magic; I've told you this before. Besides, I'm sure the inside of your tent looked like a mansion," Harry retorted, extending the sides of the tent out, making it much larger than it was before.

Draco stepped out of the tent to make sure their spell work had worked only on the inside, without altering the outside appearance. So far, so good. "Well, it was nearly an exact replica of the Château on the continent, but nowhere as enormous as the Manor."

"Prat."

Harry and Draco paused in their bickering as Ron stumbled into their tent, looking around with his mouth agape at their spell-work. Hermione joined a moment after Ron, giving the extended tent an appreciative nod, and glaring when Pansy pranced in behind her, looking like she owned the place.

"Nice work you two!"

"Thanks, Weasley. Er...Pansy?" Draco asked, his pale and perfectly manicured eyebrow rising almost into his sleek hair. Even with the tent modified, it was still an awfully cramped space for two people, let alone five.

The Slytherin girl took a good look around the tent, admiring the way Draco's On-the-Inside-Looking-Out charm showed the 'front door' of their tent, like a Muggle security camera would. As she finally made her way back over to the group of confused and curious teens, Pansy smiled benignly and held out her hand to Draco.

"Friends?"

Draco's other eyebrow joined the first as Harry scowled at the brunette and her offensive hand. He was about to tell her off for being so presumptuous, but was instead shocked into silence as Draco took her dainty hand into his larger one, and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it.

"Yeah, friends. We've known each other since before we could even walk or talk. How could we not be friends?" Draco said incredulously, ignoring the way Harry glared at him, then Pansy, then back at him again.

Pansy frowned as she pulled her hand away from the blonde, scuffing her toe on the vinyl floor of the tent to stall for more time. She finally gave up as Hermione made an impatient tsking noise.

"I've been an idiot, Draco. I've been siding against you this whole year, and for what? Potter saved your life; of course you're going to be close to him now. What I mean is, if you and Professor Snape can find something so appealing in Potter, then maybe I can as well. Besides, Blaise was a prat and didn't have half the charisma that you did when you were at the top of your game in Slytherin. He was just bossy and snooty. At least you were tasteful as well."

Draco's slight smile split into a smirk as he pulled the Slytherin girl into a tight hug. They didn't separate until a very loud and obviously annoyed clearing of a throat interrupted their tender moment. Draco blushed apologetically as he pulled away from Pansy and saw Harry with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the two Slytherins with fire in his eyes.

"Oh, uh...Sorry, Potter. Or Harry. Or...um...What do you want me to call you?" Pansy asked nervously as she held a hand out to Harry, who glared at it for a moment or two before sighing dramatically and taking it up, pointedly only shaking the appendage, _not_ kissing it.

"You can call me Harry. I just have one rule, alright?" Harry waited until Pansy gave a sign that she was ready to hear his rule before going on. "You're not to insult my friends – _any_ of them – as long as I'm around. You do realize what this really means, right?"

Pansy hesitated as she looked around at the other Gryffindors and Draco, whose expression was one of hope. She couldn't let her one-time best friend down. "Alright, I agree to the rule. And yes, I realize this means more than just a shift in friendships. This means I'm essentially allying myself with the Light. I don't want to follow in my father's footsteps. So if it means tagging along with you, then so be it."

After an awkward silence that lasted entirely too long, Pansy swept her hair over her shoulder and made for the exit. "Well, I've got to finish unpacking. See you all later. Oh, and Granger, Tibbles isn't very fond of Crookshanks, so he'll have to stay in that basket thing you have him in." With that, she was gone.

"Ugh, I _still_ can't stand her!" Hermione growled as she stomped her foot, glaring at the spot where Pansy had stood moments before.

"I don't trust her as far as I could throw her," Draco said in a nonchalant manner as he made a few more minor adjustments to his and Harry's tent.

Harry huffed as he turned to face Draco, who was squinting at the ceiling in contemplation of just how high he could get it without changing the outward appearance. "Then what the hell was all that lovey-dovey hugging shite?"

Rolling his eyes at the Gryffindor, the blonde made one final adjustment, then stowed his wand away. "Strategy, Potter. If we let her believe that we trust her, she'll let her guard down, and then we can find out the real reason she's getting buddy-buddy with us. Think like a Slytherin, love."

"Stop calling me Potter, _Malfoy_," Harry groused, staring at the two plain beds shoved into opposite corners of the tent. "Think Professor McGonagall would count off points if we simply transfigured the two beds into one?"

"Oh Merlin, Harry," Ron complained, his face screwed up in obvious distaste.

S~S~S~S

It was unnervingly dark and especially chilly, given that it was only just the end of March. Draco desperately needed to relieve himself, but the thought of walking all the way to the make-shift lavatories made him want to snuggle closer to Harry, who was tucked warmly against his chest. After trying to convince himself he could wait until morning, which was still nearly five hours away, Draco gave in and carefully extracted himself from Harry's half-embrace. He slipped his dressing gown and slippers on before removing the wards protecting their tent and carefully unzipping it to step out into the hair-raisingly chilly night air. Draco made sure he replaced the wards, lest someone try to take advantage of Harry being alone. Being Slytherin had its advantages, also known as paranoia.

It hadn't occurred to the teens when choosing a spot to set up their tent that the spot they had chosen was annoyingly far away from both the bathrooms and mess hall. Draco sighed dramatically as he pulled his dressing gown closer to himself, forcing his jaw not to chatter against his teeth as he shivered. Of course, the warming spells on the temporary loo were faulty at best, and so Draco was very glad he was male and had the option of standing. The biggest thing the blonde despised were the 'sinks', which were more like murky wash basins filled with charmed lukewarm water. Draco cringed and aimed a cleaning spell at his hands instead, not wanting to find out the hard way which fungus was growing on the few boys who actually did bother washing their hands in the make-shift sinks.

As Draco made to leave, a strange gurgling from the pipes gave him pause. He stood and listened for a moment before deciding it was nothing of concern. He realized this was a mistake when he turned his back, and seconds later became drenched in less than sanitary water.

"What the bloody hell?" Draco screeched as he spun around, ready to hex whoever was there six ways from Sunday. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

When no answer was forthcoming, Draco pulled his wand and performed a drying spell on himself before stalking to each of the stalls and searching them. There was nobody there; nobody visible, at least. "I am a Slytherin Prefect and so help me, I'll put you in detention until you graduate!" Draco warned as he decided on which revealing spell to use to find the culprit.

"Hominem revealio!" Nothing.

"Specialis revealio!" Zilch.

"Spiritu revealio!" Draco jumped violently as water came splashing out of the stall behind him, a horrible moaning cry ringing through the room.

"Oh that's just not fair! None of the other students ever figure that one out! How did you know?"

Draco swept his damp hair out of his eyes and stared up at the transparent girl floating before him. He'd heard that voice before, and even now the whinging quality and babyish pitch made him cringe.

"Who are you?" Draco demanded, drying himself once more with a pointed glare at the ghost, who looked to be roughly the same age as Draco.

The ghostly young woman held herself rigidly and frowned with a haughty expression. "My name is Myrtle, though most everyone that's seen me calls me Moaning Myrtle. Surely you've heard of me?"

Draco shrugged as he leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. It was still awfully chilly, despite his warming charm. "Yeah, I've heard of you. In fact, I probably know much more about you than others who've seen you."

The ghostly girl's pout turned into a wide smile, her out-dated frizzy hair waving in an invisible breeze. Her wire framed glasses with thick lenses gave off a vibe that soothed Draco remarkably. He couldn't really pinpoint why, until he realized that her glasses reminded him of Harry.

"Really? You do look awfully familiar to me, though that greasy haired twitchy fellow was always with _that_ blonde boy."

Draco scoffed and gave the ghost an incredulous look. It was not the first, nor would it be the last time he was confused with his father. "That's probably my father and Godfather you're thinking of. It's been awhile since they were students here."

Myrtle cocked her head to the side as she stared at Draco, as if in deep concentration. Her smile turned lascivious as realization came into her eyes. "Ah, yes...You must know Harry Potter then. How is dear Harry doing?" Myrtle sighed, love-sickness written all over her face.

Scowling, Draco pushed himself away from the wall and approached the transparent young woman, who had floated down to his level. "'Dear Harry' is just fine, and yes, I know him _quite well,_" Draco groused, giving the ghost a pointed look.

"Oh..." Myrtle breathed, her annoying pout returning once more. Suddenly, a look of intense determination came over the girl as she floated almost uncomfortably close to Draco. "You better be good to him, Mr. – What's your name?"

"Draco Malfoy, and I am, I promise. So you knew my dad when he came here, eh?" Draco asked curiously. It would be odd to see his father at his age, how he looked and acted. Was Draco really so much like him?

"Oh yes, yes...He and that other boy used to come in here and plot their little misdeeds. I listened for a long time without ever letting them know I was around, but when I heard one of them mention the name Tom Riddle, I came out to talk to them," Myrtle explained, sitting crossed legged on the dirt and canvas floor.

Draco grimaced at the idea of sitting on the floor of the loo and having a conversation with a perverted ghost, but he sat down across from her anyways, only because he was finally getting to the good part. "Did you know Tom Riddle, too?"

"Uh huh, but I knew him when I was still alive, long ago. He was a Slytherin Prefect, two years ahead of me in school. Very quiet boy, never really got into too much trouble. One time, he gave Olive detention for making fun of me. But..."

Draco leaned forward as Myrtle's face scrunched in concentration. He knew something big was about to come out, and he was growing impatient as she sat and thought for a long time. "But...?"

Myrtle looked up at Draco and sighed dramatically, her pout taking over once more. "I think Tom was the last person I saw before I died. I always wondered why he never tried to save me...then again; I wasn't really worth saving after all."

Draco frowned, realizing that he was actually feeling sorry for the spirit. The poor girl never even knew that the last person she'd ever seen, was the person who ordered her death. "Everyone is worth saving, Myrtle. He didn't save you because he was the one who told the Basilisk to look into your eyes and kill you. Is that why you stayed earth bound; so you could find out how and why you died?"

Myrtle had glistening, transparent tears trickling down her softly glowing cheeks. It was an odd sight to see a ghost cry. "That was part of the reason. The other part was that I wanted to haunt Olive Hornby for teasing me so much. I would be in my sixties if I hadn't died so many long years ago. In all this time, I've learned that it's better to pass on without knowing then be stuck for an eternity in a place you can never truly be a part of again."

Draco couldn't believe how much he was truly sympathizing with the dead girl. In a way, he knew exactly how she felt, and an understanding settled between them. "Well, the least I could do is try to keep you company for awhile," Draco said, offering the ghostly girl one of his most charming smiles.

Myrtle sighed and giggled quite girlishly, almost certainly blushing, had she any blood to colour her cheeks. "Oh, Draco, I think I'm beginning to grow fond of you."

S~S~S~S

Two weeks flew by as the students of Hogwarts learned to make do with what they had, out in the elements and unpredictable world of the Quidditch pitch. Random check-ups by the Prefects, Head boy and girl, and various Professors made sure things did not break out into utter chaos, though the effort was mostly wasted. Even though tempers had been flared and nerves were wracked about sharing a tent with a student of a different house at first, the students had had time to get used to their tent mate and learn to live with them.

The pick-up Quidditch games with students of completely random teams were probably Harry's favourite part of the whole fiasco. The teams were often chosen using the method Harry had often seen in primary school, which he had a knack for being left out of. Here, however, he had no problems being chosen for a team, and often times, the team leads would fight over who got Harry as a Seeker, and who got Draco.

It was during one of these games that Harry and Draco were on opposing teams, chasing the Snitch at break neck speeds and trying to sabotage each other, good naturedly. The wards would only let them go so high and so far around the pitch, but the two teens still managed to perform fantastically dangerous stunts as they flipped, swerved, rolled and plunged to chase the ever-flying golden prize. Harry had a slight advantage on Draco after performing a flawless feint, and was just about to catch the Snitch when an almighty boom echoed through the grounds. Forgetting about the game completely, Harry turned his broom towards the sound, and felt his heart drop into his stomach as a large chunk of the west tower of Hogwarts castle began to cascade down the side. With only a second to decide, Harry used one of the many spells his father had taught him and broke the wards around the Quidditch pitch, tearing towards the large chunk of stone and mortar that was heading quickly towards the earth. He never noticed Draco coming up behind him on his own broom.

As Harry cleared the hill towards the castle, he could see the stone heading straight for the temporary camp where the Professor's had been living, and sped up until his broom vibrated violently with speed. He managed to untangle his wand from his robe pocket and still steer his broom, aiming quickly at the stone.

"_Confringo!_"

"_Protego Totalis!_"

Harry hadn't had time to think of anything better, only hoping that the smaller pieces of stone would do less damage to the camp below. He swung around quickly as he heard another shouted spell, and sped towards Draco, who was flying closer towards the camp, his wand expelling a huge shield around the area.

The sound of the stone cracking against the shield and flying off in other directions made Harry clench his teeth. He quickly flew beside Draco as he saw the Slytherin begin to veer off, all of his power forced into the shield spell. Clutching the blonde's waist, Harry waited until the last of the stone had cleared the camp before carefully manoeuvring himself and Draco down to the ground.

There was a loud commotion as the Professors all came out from behind their own personally erected shield spells, rushing towards Harry and Draco, who made a clumsy landing in the centre of the camp. Harry quickly scanned the teachers and realized his father and Remus were not there.

"Where's my dad, where's Moony?" Harry asked Professor McGonagall as she assisted Professor Sinistra in making sure Draco and Harry were not harmed.

"They're on the other side of the west tower, working on the outer wards. I've no idea what even caused the stone to fall, or where it came from!" the Head of Gryffindor said, her voice highly scandalized.

"The stone came from the west tower," Harry informed the Professor before jumping on his broom once more, and taking off around the side of the castle, towards the offending tower. As he streaked through the sky, he saw the blue glow of a Patronus being sent off towards the Professor's camps, and sped as quickly to the ground as he could as he saw two shapes near the base of the tower; one kneeling, the other lying down. There were bits of stone littered around the two Professors, and Harry felt his heart stop as he landed and saw his father lying unconscious on the ground, blood coming from his head and his leg crushed under a large bit of stone. Remus was kneeling beside him, murmuring to himself as he checked his husband's vitals and tried to think of the best way to remove the stone from the man's leg without aggravating the injury. His neck cricked as he heard Harry land and watched him rush to the Potions Master's side.

"Dad!"

"Harry, what are you doing here? I've just sent a Patronus for help; he's alright, just a concussion and a broken leg. I'm afraid to move the stone, however; I don't want to make the break worse." The Defence Professor's voice was shaking, as were his pale hands as he swept black hair out of his husband's eyes to get a better look at the large gash on his head.

The sight of so much blood around his father made Harry queasy, and he couldn't stop the tears from leaking down his cheeks as he tried hard to keep himself from clutching the man to him to make sure he was really alive. "What happened? I heard a bang and saw the stone from the pitch. I flew over and broke the stone up to limit the damage, and Draco shielded the Professor's camp."

"Harry, you did _what?_ How did you even leave the protective warding around the pitch? Students aren't supposed to be anywhere _near_ the castle during the warding, in case something like this should happen!" Remus shouted, his worry and fear filtering into his anger at Harry for being out-of-bounds.

Harry glared at his step-father as he clutched at the Potions Professor's still hand. There was the sound of hurried footsteps around the side of the tower as the other Professors and hopefully Madame Pomfrey came rushing to their aid.

"I couldn't just watch the stone fall and crush all of the Professors to death! I broke the wards around the pitch temporarily, just so I could get out. Draco must have slipped through with me without my noticing. The other Professors didn't even know it was coming until it was almost too late!" Harry shouted back, indignant that he was being chastised for saving many lives, aided by his boyfriend, who ran towards him and kneeled beside him, his breath heaving in his chest.

"What happened?" Draco asked as he stared worriedly at his Head of House. He had one hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing it gently as he used the other to wipe the Gryffindor's tears away.

"Out of the way, all of you!" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she ran up and dropped to her knees beside the injured Professor, her wand drawn as she quickly assessed the damage and began healing the gash.

"Remus, Minerva; very carefully hover the piece of stone up on off of his leg so I can assess the kind of break and whether Skele-Gro is going to be needed," Poppy instructed, grimacing at the odd angle Snape's leg was turned at under the stone.

"Come, yeh two. Yeh shouldn't even be 'ere," Hagrid said as he gently led Harry and Draco back a few feet to give the matron room to work.

"I'm not leaving; let me go!" Harry ground out, trying to yank his arm away from the half-giant. He wanted to see his father wake up, hear him speak, just to be sure he was alright; to be sure he wasn't dead like everyone else Harry had come to see as a father.

Harry's line of sight was cut off as Draco moved in front of him, grasping his shoulders and stilling his attempts to pull away from Hagrid, who let go as soon as he saw that Draco had the Gryffindor mostly under control.

"Harry, calm down. Snape's going to be fine."

Harry gulped back more tears as he stopped struggling to see around his boyfriend, and instead allowed the blonde to pull him into a tight hug. He let out a shuddering breath as Draco rubbed his back to soothe him.

"It's alright, love...Everything will be ok," Draco whispered.

S~S~S~S

It was nearly three in the morning when Harry finally gave up trying to fall asleep. Draco was dozing lightly beside him, only haven fallen asleep an hour or so previously. Harry carefully extracted his arm from under the blonde and got out of bed. He slipped his trainers on and swung his invisibility cloak around his shoulders before using his wand to unward and open the tent, re-warding it as he walked away.

The temporary infirmary was not far from where his and Draco's tent was set up, and it only took a minute or two for Harry to get there. He quietly spoke the password allowing family members in, and slipped into the little curtained off area that housed the Potions Master.

Harry looked down at his father, shivering as the warming charms on the makeshift infirmary began to fade. He knew the house elves would sense the drop in temperature and come renew the charms, but until then, Harry reached for a folded knit blanket off a pile close by, and draped it over his dad. He grabbed another blanket for himself and wrapped it around his shoulder, over his cloak.

The lank black hair cascading over the impersonal white of the infirmary pillow billowed gently in the small breeze that was the Potions Professor's breath. Harry continued to stare at the blank expression of unconsciousness on his father's face, contemplating all the rollercoaster of emotions that had ripped through him in the last twelve hours.

Harry had always thought of his father as invincible, untouchable. Even before the man became his father, he never thought anything could touch Snape. Despite all he had been through with Voldemort, Snape still managed to live on and stay strong. The thought of something as mundane as a boulder taking the man's life angered Harry. How dare fate cheat him like that? If Severus Snape was going to die, it had better be in an epic battle for his life, a harrowing tale that would be retold time and again for a hundred years or more. Death by a bit of falling stone? Not for Severus Snape!

"Harry?"

The young Gryffindor jumped, despite the softness of the deep voice. He had not noticed his father had awoken while he stared and thought of how unfair fate could be sometimes. "Dad," Harry sighed in relief. "How are feeling?"

Snape sat up slowly, reaching up to feel a bandage over one side of his head, and realizing that he couldn't move one of his legs. He tore the blankets away and glared at the splint that was holding his leg in place, the now familiar aches of Skele-Gro gnawing at the mending bones.

"I feel like I was almost crushed by a giant falling stone. Oh – wait."

Harry sighed heavily and glared at his father, who turned slightly to rearrange his pillows so that he was in a sitting position rather than flat on his back. "Don't do that. Don't joke about it. I was terrified," Harry whispered, grabbing for the Potions Master's hand.

Severus gave up his annoyed mood and grasped his son's hand in his own. The genuine look of fear and exhaustion on the boy's face tore at Severus, and he vowed to never put that look on his child's face again. "I apologize, Harry. It is not every day you are assaulted by your place of employment."

"What happened? Remus was too angry with me to answer my questions," Harry admitted, scuffing his trainer on the tarp below them and looking down at the pattern it made.

"Why would Remus be angry with you?" the Potions Master asked, a suspicious look on his face as Harry avoided his eyes.

Harry explained how he and Draco had stopped the stone that had fallen down the opposite side of the tower from crushing the camp and the rest of the Professors. All through the explanation, Harry could feel his father growing more and more annoyed with him.

"Well, your father is quite right to be upset with you, Harry James Potter. What were you _thinking_, pulling a stunt like that?"

"I was _thinking_ that I didn't want anyone else to die! Why is everyone so mad at me for saving everyone's life – again!" Harry asked indignantly as he pulled his hand away from his father's grasp.

"It is not the act itself, Harry, but what you did in order to accomplish it! You left the safety of the wards, deliberately making a break in them that could have put all of your classmates at risk. What if there had been Death Eaters flying close by, just waiting for you to step out of line? The fact that the castle is being re-warded is no secret; I'm fairly positive the Dark Lord indeed has men watching the area. You are extremely lucky that you and Draco weren't attacked!" Severus hissed, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. He knew his son meant well, but playing the hero was going to get the boy killed, or send Severus to an early grave from worry.

Harry hung his head, realizing that he had not even thought of what making a break in the wards could have done. All he had been thinking of was making sure none of the Professor's got hurt, and in doing so, he could have gotten his friends and classmates killed. "I'm sorry. I never meant to put anyone at risk."

Severus sighed heavily and leaned forward, lifting his son's chin so that he would meet his eyes. "I understand that, son, but you cannot always be the one to save the day. One day, you'll finally believe me when I tell you that Harry Potter does not need to play the Hero he is made out to be by society. I just hope it is not too late by then. You are not expected to live up to their image of you. I only ask that you take responsibility for your actions and live the life of the sixteen-year-old boy that you are. You are not a hero to me, but my only son, and I cannot bear to lose you."

Severus was unsurprised when he received an armful of teary Gryffindor, curling up at his side on the narrow hospital bed and burying his face in his hospital robes. He rubbed the boy's back and held him close, listening as the hiccups grew softer, and the shaking subsided. Harry's breathing was growing quite deep and even now, and Severus was sure the boy had fallen asleep, until he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Harry."

* * *

**A/N: **So, I know a lot has happened in this chapter and may all be a bit confusing, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to review or send me a message and ask. I hope you guys enjoyed this one! The next chapter is pretty dark. I hope to have it out much sooner than this one! I wish you all happy holidays! Please be safe for the New Year! Thanks for reading!


	41. The End of an Era

**A/N:** Hello dear readers! It's nice to be back! I'm glad to say that I didn't lose ANY of Never Alone, as I had it all backed up on my external. Woot! That being said, this is a pretty emotional chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

**WARNING:** Dark themes, lots of cussing, and…_Character Death_…GASP!

* * *

**Ch 41.  
The End of an Era**

After Snape had been healed and released from the infirmary, he went straight back to helping with the warding. He'd been highly annoyed that Dumbledore had not even been on the grounds when the incident occurred, nor had he been aware of what happened until three days later when he had returned from wherever it was that he kept disappearing to. Severus had informed the Headmaster that the foundation of the castle had begun to crumble after the structuring wards had been temporarily removed to be renewed, causing a precariously cracked rampart on the west tower to break off and fall to the ground, causing his injuries and the near deaths of his colleagues. The Headmaster only expressed that he was glad no one was killed, and assured all the Professors working on the warding that the most dangerous part of the task had passed.

Two weeks later, Hogwarts was safer than ever, with no more near-death experiences or major problems, unless of course you counted Peeves trying to pop out of the stone work and frighten the Professors periodically, causing a few wayward spells to fly about. The students were all extremely glad when an announcement was made at dinner for everyone to pack up and prepare to move back into the castle.

Harry was indeed eager to move back in as well, but his reasons were much different than his classmates. All throughout the re-warding of the castle, Harry had not spoken to the Headmaster once, nor been given any more information about Tom Riddle or his Horcruxes. Time was running out quickly, as May was turning swiftly into June. He had no idea if the Headmaster had exactly a year to live from when the curse took affect or if that was just an estimated time frame for the curse to finally kill him. All Harry knew was that he was not ready to lose Dumbledore as an ally and a source of information. He wasn't ready to do things on his own yet.

"I'm sure the Headmaster has just been busy, Harry. All of the Professors have been. He'll probably want to speak to you as soon as we're all safely in the castle once more," Hermione tried to reassure her best friend as she, Ron, Harry and Draco sat around a table in the makeshift study hall to finish up the last of their projects before time was up. Hermione of course already had hers finished a week ago, but she was assisting the boys as best she could.

"I heard Dad complaining to Moony that Dumbledore hadn't even been around when the accident happened, nor did he bother to answer the Patronus that Remus sent out to him after it happened. He didn't even get back to Hogwarts until three days later, and even then, he wouldn't tell anyone where he'd been," Harry explained, flipping distractedly through his potions book as he checked his measurements to make sure he had everything completely correct for his father's class project.

"Maybe he was out looking for more of the – you know..._things_," Ron whispered, looking around to make sure no one who wasn't supposed to hear was listening in. Their table was mostly secluded, as the study hall began to thin out as it grew later into the evening.

"Maybe so, but shouldn't he have been here helping? What if something really bad had happened; what if Dad had died?" Harry asked in a harsh voice, forgetting his essay for a second to give in to his anger at the Headmaster.

Draco finished his Arithmancy project with a flourish and dried the ink with his wand before letting the parchment scroll in on itself. "Severus is fine, Harry. Not that I'm saying I approve of how Professor Dumbledore handled Sev's accident, but perhaps going and looking for these objects was more important. Maybe he found another one, and he's just waiting to tell you so he can take you along," the blonde suggested.

"Did he promise to take you along, Harry? I don't know if that's a very good idea. What would your father think of that?" Hermione asked as she unrolled Draco's essay and began to read it over, ignoring his exasperated look.

Harry leaned forward and dipped his quill into his ink, giving Hermione a pointed look. "Yes, he promised, and I don't plan on letting my father in on that, so hush up about it."

"Harry, you have to tell him – "

"Let off, Hermione. Harry has a right to go along with Dumbledore, and you know old Snape will probably blow up and refuse to let him go. I say go for it, mate, and give the _thing_ a right nice kick for me," Ron said with a firm nod of his head. He scoffed as Hermione smacked him on the back of the head and stood from the table, gathering her books.

"You're both stupid, and when Harry ends up hurt over this, I'll be sure to tell you that I told you so. Coming, Draco? There are a few things in your essay I'd like to discuss with you, if you're willing," Hermione said, holding Draco's essay hostage as she began to turn away.

Draco shrugged at his boyfriend, who was glaring at the Gryffindor witch as she walked away, the blonde traipsing along beside her to discuss the finer intricacies of Arithmatic theory.

"Those two..." Ron grumbled as he scowled at Draco's back, still rubbing the spot where Hermione had whacked him a good one.

S~S~S~S

Hermione had been right; at lunch the next day, which was a Saturday, Harry received a small scroll, instructing Harry to meet Dumbledore in his office on Monday after lessons had been completed.

"I told you so," Hermione said smugly as she plucked up an apple and bit into it. Harry scowled and shoved the scroll into his pocket, bumping his arm into Draco as he did so and making the blonde spill his pumpkin juice on his white shirt.

"Aw, you little berk! This is my favourite shirt!"

"I know a good stain removing spell, Malfoy. Sit still," Ernie MacMillan said, who'd been Neville's tent partner, and was sitting at the Gryffindor table. In fact, if you looked around the Great Hall, the House tables were all filled with an assortment from each House, as students who had made new friends in their tent-mates sat with each other instead of merely by House. It was a unique sight to see, and the sense of unity had never been so very strong within Hogwarts walls before.

Draco thanked the Hufflepuff after the bright orange stain was removed from his shirt, and he put a spell on his chalice to keep it from spilling again, giving Harry a mock glare. Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione all looked up as a dark shape appeared just behind Harry.

"I saw that you received a letter from the Headmaster. When is the meeting?" Severus asked, only slightly thrown off by the random mix of students currently inhabiting the Gryffindor table, including quite a few of his Slytherins.

"Monday evening. He said he has good news," Harry told his father, fingering the small scroll in his pocket.

"Mm, I should hope so, as the man is simply refusing to say anything about where he's been disappearing to these past few months. Do remind me where you'll be that day so that I do not worry about you not coming home straight away," Severus instructed his son, ignoring the few surprised looks he received from the students sitting around the newly formed quartet.

"Of course, Dad," Harry said, offering his father a warm smile before the man stalked away, his robes billowing out behind him as ever.

"I know he's your Da' and all now, Harry, but he still frightens me a bit," Neville admitted with a gulp as many of the students watched the Potions Master leave the Great Hall with a flourish.

"Don't worry; he still frightens _me_ a bit, Nev."

S~S~S~S

Sunday morning dawned bright and early, for those who could see the sun anyway. Harry stretched and yawned as the smell of fresh brewed coffee filled his lungs. He had desperately missed the warmth of Draco sleeping beside him during the night, and planned to ask his father about making some sort of Oath of celibacy so that Draco could share his bed once more.

After taking a leisurely shower and throwing on some comfortable Muggle clothes, Harry made to head for breakfast, but paused in the hall as he heard a familiar voice mixed in with the two male voices that he recognized as his fathers'. He kept to the shadows as he listened in, realizing he recognized the feminine voice of his Astronomy Professor as well.

"I am quite honoured to be approached with this question. To be honest, I never had planned to have children of my own, but it would be nice to go through the experience at least," Aurora Sinistra said before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Though I am working on a potion to make the child both biologically mine and Remus', you would still be considered the child's mother, and have full rights to see him or her and be a part of their life. We would not ask you to do this, and then simply shut you out of the child's life. We thought for a long time about our choices, and thought you were the best," the Potions Professor explained from his seat across from the witch.

"It was purely by accident that I heard about your sexual preferences. Gossip, even among adults, is unfortunately quite carrying. Professor Grubbly-Plank didn't seem to mind outing you to the staff," Remus remarked with a snort. He'd always thought that old woman was quite a hoot.

There was a robust laugh from the woman that made Harry feel warm inside for some reason. He couldn't believe he was actually hearing this; his parents were really serious about having another child. Harry was getting a sibling!

"Ah, that woman was a laugh indeed. She meant well, I'm sure. Besides, I never really intended to hide it. If I'd been asked out right if I was a Lesbian, I would have just said yes. There seems to be something about Hogwarts and having quite a queer staff..."

Harry could not hold in his snort at that play on words, and gave up trying to eaves drop as his fathers and the witch turned towards the hall and spotted him. He blushed as Snape gave him a reprimanding look for eaves dropping, glad the man didn't outright admonish him.

"Good morning Dad, Moony, Professor Sinistra," Harry said warmly as he took the last open seat and poured himself a cup of coffee. He always preferred coffee to tea in the mornings; it seemed to help wake him up a bit more.

"Good morning Mr. Potter! I hope you slept well?" Aurora asked cheerfully as she sat her cup down and nodded at Harry.

"Yeah, I slept alright. Kind of lonely now, though..." Harry said offhandedly, catching the exasperated looks from his fathers.

"I daresay you heard what we were discussing with Ms. Sinistra, Harry?" Remus asked, transferring a few pieces of toast onto a napkin and handing them to his son.

Harry accepted the toast and blushed at being caught out. "Er, yeah. I wasn't meaning to eaves drop, really. I was just happening down the hall and didn't want to interrupt."

"A likely story," Severus deadpanned, causing Aurora to laugh boisterously into her coffee once more. Though Harry had never really had an opinion one way or the other about the Astronomy Professor, she seemed like a pleasant enough woman, and he secretly hoped that this arrangement would work out.

Aurora checked her watch as it gave a short chime. Harry noticed that the face was not bedecked in numbers, but lunar phases. He saw Remus' interest pique as well. "Sorry to cut this short, gentlemen, but I've got to go pick up the new telescopes I ordered. Pamphlet said they can see past Pluto; we'll see about that."

"Thank you for obliging us, Aurora," Severus said, standing from the table in respect as the witch stood to leave.

"You're most welcome Severus, Remus. Keep me updated on how the potion is coming along, and then we'll discuss the date of insemination!" the Astronomy Professor said excitedly. All three adults looked over at Harry as he spluttered into his coffee.

"Insemination? I'm really going to get a sibling?" Harry asked, his face breaking out into a grin as Remus nodded and Severus only smirked. "I demand a sister! Boys suck!"

Professor Sinistra left the dungeon quarters still laughing heartily, thanking Severus and Remus for the coffee, and Harry for the good laugh.

"As powerful a Potions Master as I may be, I do not think it is yet possible for me to ascertain a certain sex is created. However, I have already done some research on mixed DNA insemination, so it shant be long before your sibling will be on its way," the Potions Master assured his son, accepting a kiss from his husband as Remus took the dirty dishes to the sink in the kitchenette.

"I thought you said the time wasn't right when I brought it up last month?" Harry asked, curious as to why his fathers had changed their minds about a second child.

Severus and Remus shared a look as the latter retook his seat at the table. There was a short silence before Remus gave in and decided to explain. "Harry, in terms of life expectancies for werewolves, I am no spring chicken. Your father and I have thought a lot about this, and though we fear bringing another child into this world during a war may be extremely risky, we do not want to lose the chance to have another child."

"You're saying that you want to have a baby now, just in case one of you doesn't survive the war," Harry stated, looking between the two men with a worried look. As much as he wanted a sibling, he didn't want his parents to rush into it either. He was determined to see both of them through the war, no matter what it took.

"You never know what will happen, Harry. We wanted to discuss with you what would happen to your brother or sister should we both not survive the war. You are very young, and as difficult as it would be to raise a child at yours and Draco's age, we thought that we would leave in our wills that, should we both peril, you and Draco shall receive custody. However, if you think an alternative solution would be better, we'd like to hear your opinion," Severus said, spreading his arms as if to open the floor for Harry to speak.

Harry blinked rapidly, feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of this. "Well, I would prefer you both stay alive and be there for my brother or sister, to be honest. But...well, I guess this needs to be discussed with Draco as well." Harry took a good look at his fathers expressions, Severus' stoic as ever, and Remus' eager, but trying to hide it, and his decision was made.

"If you both don't make it through the war, I want custody of my sibling. I'll speak with Draco about including him as a guardian as well."

Remus sighed in relief as Severus offered his son a warm smile. They all turned as Draco himself actually walked into dungeon quarters, pausing in his steps as he realized he had just interrupted something.

"Sorry to barge in. I guess I should have knocked..." Draco said uncertainly as he stood there behind Harry instead of taking the empty seat beside him.

"Nonsense, Draco. You're a part of this family as well. The wards would not simply allow you entry if not," Severus assured the blonde, who smiled shyly and sat down next to Harry, accepting his good morning kiss that tasted of coffee and minty toothpaste.

"We were just talking about you, actually," said Remus, gauging the Slytherin's reaction as he bypassed the coffee and went for the tea instead, much like Remus himself.

Severus glared half-heartedly at the werewolf before topping off his coffee and turning back to Draco, who was buttering a slice of toast. "We'd like to ask you to be the Godfather of the child we're expecting."

Draco dropped his knife and spread butter all over the table cloth instead of his toast, staring at his own godfather. "Er...the child you're expecting?" Draco repeated, giving Harry a bewildered look.

Remus chuckled at the look of sheer confusion on the boy's face and took pity on him. "We've decided to have a child with a surrogate mother. The insemination has not yet taken place, but as soon as Severus has perfected his potion on mixing DNA, we'll have a child on the way. We've already discussed with Harry that, should we both not make it through the war, we would like to leave custody of the child to the both of you. As there are no Wizarding laws about naming two Godfather's due to a same-sex union, we're appointing both Harry and yourself a godparents, should you accept."

Draco smiled and looked at Harry, who seemed to be happier than he had been in a very long time. The look in his emerald green eyes told Draco all he needed to know, and he looked back at his Professors and nodded. "I accept. _We_ accept."

Harry kissed Draco excitedly on the cheek, then stood and moved around the table to hug both of his fathers. "I really, _really_ hope I get a sister."

"Ooh we could dress her up in cute little outfits and do her hair!" Draco exclaimed, causing both Severus and Remus to burst out laughing.

"I do hope the both of you mature a bit more, should you gain custody of our child," Severus said playfully as Harry and Draco continued to gab on about matching their outfits to the child's and hoping she'd get Severus' eyes.

S~S~S~S

The Headmaster's office looked the same as ever. Spindly little tables with shiny contraptions that whirred and emitted puffs of smoke, walls lined with any book you could imagine, framed portraits of past Headmaster's and –mistress', and of course, the magnificent form of Fawkes the phoenix, preening his golden and crimson plumage, his watery black eyes blinking slowly as Harry softly pet down his head feathers.

"Harry, my boy. How are you this fine evening?"

Harry smiled gently at the old man as he took his usual seat before the Headmaster's desk. He glanced at the bowel of lemon drops and took one, just to see the man's eyes twinkle as he smiled. "I'm doing pretty well myself, Professor."

"Good, good." The long pause that followed should probably have unnerved Harry, but somehow, he knew what was coming. He had been waiting for this night, and he wouldn't let a little unease harm his chances of finally getting to assist in destroying a piece of the monster that had plagued his entire life.

"I have found it, Harry. The next Horcrux has been located," Dumbledore said quietly, his good hand crossed over his blackened hand, almost as if he were trying to conceal it, even though the young Gryffindor had seen it many a time before.

Harry's heart sped up to an alarming rate, nearly sending the young man into a fit of hyperventilation. He gripped the wooden arms of his chair, scooting forward until he was perched on the edge, as if ready for flight. "Where? When are we going?"

That was when Harry knew something was wrong. The Headmaster's serene expression turned suddenly sullen, and a look of deep concern and sadness filled those icy blue eyes. No...no, this wasn't right, the old man couldn't possibly stop him from – !

"I must apologize most profusely, my boy. I have lied to you. I agreed to take you along on the next journey to destroy the Horcrux with the understanding that you would remain safe with me. However, I have grown too ill, too weak to feel entirely comfortable defending not just myself, but you as well. I do have confidence in your abilities, but I cannot rightfully bring you along, knowing that there may be the slightest chance that I cannot help you, and you falling victim to Voldemort once more."

Red hot, blinding anger took over Harry then, sending him to his feet and his chair skidding back a fair few feet. "How could you? You promised that you would take me! I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines and watching the people I love die for me! _I WANT TO FIGHT!_" Harry bellowed so loudly, he was sure he tore his throat into pieces.

The Headmaster did not flinch nor blink; he sat as still and calm as ever as Harry built a head of steam. It was like fifth year after Sirius had died all over again. "Harry, I know this is very disappointing to you, and you do not know how very much I regret disappointing you, but I cannot in good conscious take you with me. Your safety is the most important thing to me, and to the war effort. I have done everything I can to make sure you were informed, that you learned all you needed to know about Voldemort, but this time, I must go alone."

"Yeah, great idea, considering last time you went alone you stupidly put on a cursed ring and sentenced yourself to death! What about after you die, eh? You won't be there to protect me anymore. You won't be there to tell me what to do, who to trust, when to act. What then, old man?"

"The Order has not abandoned you, nor will they after my impending death. You will never be alone in this, Harry. Once I am gone, there will be others to take my place, guide you in the right direction – "

"You mean others to lead me along like a blind man, pushing me across that great chess board like the pawn I am. When will you learn that I am not just a weapon to be used at your or anyone else's disposal?" Harry shouted, his entire being shaking with rage and pent up emotions. He couldn't handle the manipulation any longer, it was too much.

"Harry, you must listen to me! This is for your own protection!"

That was the crack that shattered Harry's fragile control. "Oh, of course it's for my protection! You couldn't possibly risk the chance of your weapon being taken out of the battle before it's time to finally face the bastard for the last time!"

Harry stalked up to the desk, leaning over until he was as close to the Headmaster as he could get, his face red and screwed up in anger as he clenched his wand in one fist, the other ready to send a punch.

"_You_ listen to _me_, old man! I am _sick_ of you breaking your promises, of you telling me you do things for my 'protection' when time after time, I'm the one who suffers in the end! The Prophecy calls for _me_ to defeat Voldemort, for _my_ hand to be the one that slays him. I won't have you directing my arm like a puppet master, aiming for me when it's time to make the kill. This is _my_ fight, and I will be a part of it, do you understand? Whether you want to help me along the right path or not, _I_ take the reins now!"

Harry spun around and made to leave the office, but as he reached the door and the ever spiralling staircase, he turned and looked at the Headmaster, who's head was bowed in what he hoped was immense shame and guilt.

"Dead or alive, you're no good to me anyways."

S~S~S~S

Three weeks later, it was time for Dumbledore to make his move.

The graveyard was quiet, except for the usual night time sounds of crickets and owls in the distance. The wind had a slight chill to it, but the Headmaster paid it no heed. He was here for a specific purpose; to remove and try to destroy one of Voldemort's ever dwindling Horcruxes.

The headstones were all weather worn and cracked in places. This graveyard was indeed very old, and held fair few of those deceased who had lived in the small village of Little Hangleton, and the bigger town of Hangleton. The names and dates were still readable, but Dumbledore had absolutely no trouble assessing which of the elaborate headstones belonged to the father of the Dark Lord.

Standing against the dark sky with its scythe still held at an angle, as if it had been used to trap a person before, stood the marble and stone version of Death that had haunted Harry's nightmares for years. Carved into the stone was the name of the Dark Lord's father, his death and birth date forgotten. However, there was an epitaph under the name that Dumbledore had not been aware of before.

Tom Riddle Senior  
_The ignorance of mortals shall bring upon them the darkness and everlasting damnation that plagues those who rely on the Soul._

A sharper chill took over the Headmaster, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the wind. Using his wand, Dumbledore ran a few spells over the headstone, checking for warding spells and curses. Looking down at his blackened hand, the elderly man was reminded not to be so foolish as to touch the stone. As he continued to examine the stone from a supposedly safe distance, Dumbledore finally saw what he was looking for; the scythe could be removed from the stone statue. He trained his wand on the stone weapon and uttered a spell to separate the stone handle from the skeletal hand of Death. He realized his mistake when the scythe suddenly flew up to its original position, held aloft in Death's firm grip, no longer pointed down at an angle.

Thunder began to rumble across the sky as dark clouds gathered and the wind kicked up, blowing the Headmaster's hair and beard about. Looking up, Dumbledore saw a funnel cloud begin to form, the whirlwind so strong and loud it started to hurt his ears. The funnel touched down only fifty feet away from the Headmaster, and travelled quickly across the dry earth until it was just before the elderly man. With a stronger gust of wind and a rumble of deafening thunder, a black cloaked figure emerged from the black cloud, his pale flesh and burning red eyes glaring so intensely, they could have pierced a weaker man's soul.

"Well, well...What do we have here? Dumbledore, come to reminisce about the beginning of his failure?" the snake like man hissed, spreading his arms theatrically as the older man stood his ground.

"Ah, Tom Riddle. It has not been long enough since last we spoke. As reminiscent an old man as I am, I am here for much different reasons," Albus responded quietly. As off-putting and worrisome as the situation was, Dumbledore could not let the Dark Lord see his weakness.

"The birth of my new reign, the place where I received my second chance...What brings you here, Dumbledore? A sacrifice for Potter?" Voldemort was circling the Headmaster slowly now, his dark robes trailing behind him, sweeping across the dead grass and dirt that made up the dilapidated graveyard.

Dumbledore followed the creature's progress with simple turns of his head, his wand at the ready in his good hand. He turned with the monster as he tried to walk behind the old man, however; Dumbledore knew that this _thing_ was not above attacking while his opponent's back was turned.

"My presence here is no business of yours, Tom. If a fight is what you want, perhaps it will be what you get."

The Dark Lord snarled in indignation and brandished his wand, taking a step closer to the elderly Headmaster. "You old fool! You _have_ no business here; the place where my dirty, mudblood father and his disgusting family rot in the bowels of the earth! This is my turf, Dumbledore. Death is what you shall receive!"

As expected, a ghostly, neon green light burst forth from the bone-like wand held in Voldemort's spidery hand. With a simple flick of his wrist, Dumbledore blocked the Killing Curse. He knew that weak attempt was just a warning. What Voldemort didn't know, however, was how weak the Headmaster really was. He had to keep the creature on his toes if he wanted to return to Hogwarts that night. He had to keep him from knowing why Dumbledore was really there, if Harry was to succeed.

"Come, Tom. Is killing me really the answer?"

"Your death makes no difference to me, old man. It is only the lure of the sheer joy I will get out of seeing the light leave your ridiculously twinkling eyes!"

_Old man...old man..._You_ listen to _me_, old man..._Dumbledore could hear Harry's livid voice echoing in his ears, beating at his heart and soul with so much disappointment and regret. However, the Headmaster would have done it the same way if given a second chance. Standing before the Darkest Wizard of their time, who had been hell bent on killing a child for the last sixteen years, Dumbledore knew he had been right to break his promise and leave Harry behind. The boy would understand, one day.

A flash of red light streaked through the air, and Dumbledore came out of his reverie with not a second to spare, sending up a weak shield charm to counter the Dark Lord's cutting curse. Blood spurt from his pale cheek as part of the curse hit its mark, and he used much of his strength not to stumble and fall.

"Such morbid violence, Tom. From what I understand, you usually have your Death Eater's do your dirty work for you. Why do I receive such special treatment?" Dumbledore asked as he sent a blasting curse at the Dark Lord, who blocked it with a sneer and a snarl of anger.

"How _dare_ you! If anyone is to take your life, Dumbledore, it will be me! Just as it shall be my hands to snuff the life out of your precious Boy-Who-Lived, it will be I who breaks the Great Dumbledore, who shows the world that wearing your hearts on your sleeves, waxing poetic about love and tolerance will gain you nothing but a painful death! Death, by those who are superior, who have fought to keep our world untainted by the mud that flows through the veins of the whores and filth you and your ilk allow into it!"

"There are things far worse than death to suffer, Tom. I have told you many times, and yet, you refuse to believe me. You are nothing but a frightened little boy in a monster's body, spreading discord because you are too cowardly to face what we will all eventually succumb to. It is not superiority that fuels your regime, but fear of the unknown, fear of the death that should have consumed you long ago!"

Bright flashes of wand light took over then, curses, hexes, shields and jinxes bouncing back and forth. As Dumbledore threw up a shield to block a stray curse, the Dark Lord took his chance, and fired a dark spell, severing the tendons in the back of the old Headmaster's knees and sending his wand careening much too far away to summon wandlessly. There was an ugly, triumphant sneer on Voldemort's face as he approached the weak and profusely bleeding man, who had fallen to his injured knees and crumpled to the ground.

"Why are you here, Dumbledore?" Voldemort whispered, his hiss like voice seeming to carry across the graveyard, despite its quietness.

Dumbledore knew this was his last chance to lead the creature down the wrong path, to secure Harry's chance of finding and destroying all of the Horcruxes. Quickly searching his weakening and pain-filled mind, the Headmaster found the answer at last.

"The cores...the twin cores of yours and Harry's wands. I was researching the phenomenon that happened here just two years ago. The magic...the magic leaves echoes, residue. I'm here for Harry," Dumbledore explained in a croak, feeling a sense of peace wash over him already as Voldemort gave a bark of laughter that told of early victory.

"You fool...I have already found a way to avoid anything of the sort happening again. When I face that brat, his end will be swift. Does that make you happy, Dumbledore, to know I intend to kill your sweet, noble Harry quickly, and mostly painless? You sacrificed yourself for nothing! And so the noble, wise old mentor falls to the prey of ignorance...I hope your boy hero knows exactly what you've just cost him," Voldemort hissed, his bare foot connecting with the side of Dumbledore's face in a vicious kick.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts raised his head slowly, looking up into blazing red eyes, the last eyes he would ever see, and smiled. "He does...Oh yes, Tom, he does."

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

S~S~S~S

"I've done it!"

Remus and Harry looked up from the chess board they had both been concentrating on as the Potions Master came out of his personal potions lab, a beaker of violet potion held aloft in his hand, a wide smile on his face.

Remus stood from the settee, the smile infectious as it spread across his face too. "It's done, the potion's been perfected?" he asked in an excited voice. Harry was beaming at his parents from his spot on the sofa, feeling no shame in the wetness that sprung to his eyes as the Potions Master nodded. He carefully set the potion aside before being engulfed in a hug by his husband and thoroughly kissed.

"I'll firecall Aurora. The potion has a time limit on it; we must act quickly for it to take," Severus said urgently as he summoned a vial and carefully transferred the potion from the beaker to the vial and corked it.

"And you're sure she's at the peak of her ovulation cycle?" Remus asked as he offered the pot of floo powder to his husband so he could make the call.

"Yes, she should be most fertile the next three days. The potion is potent enough that it would probably get her pregnant were she not very fertile anyways."

Harry blushed quite darkly and coughed into his cup of tea. He'd known in theory how the potion and insemination would work, but hearing about how fertile his Astronomy Professor was and how potent his fathers were, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit squeamish.

The flames in the grate flared green as Severus made the call to Professor Sinistra's personal quarters, startling Harry out of his reverie. This was it; he was really going to get a sister or a brother! Hopefully a sister, though a brother would be ok...

"Good evening, Severus," Aurora's voice said from the flames, her dark skin lightened by the green flames licking at her features.

"It's time, Aurora. The potion is complete, and you're ovulation cycle is most fertile right now. Are you quite ready?"

The head in the flames suddenly disappeared, and Severus only had a few seconds to move out of the way before the Astronomy Professor came through the floo connection.

"I'm ready when you are, boys!"

Harry chuckled along with his parents as Severus explained what would need to happen. Harry then realized that, as strange as it would be for anyone else to hear, he was actually excited to be a part of his sibling being created. The potion mixing Severus' and Remus' DNA would need to be ingested, and then a spell would need to be performed to actually inseminate Aurora. Harry had been quite embarrassed as his father explained to him just how the actual insemination would occur, and was quite glad he would only witness the ingestion of the potion.

"As you know, the DNA samples within this potion will ensure that the child will be biologically related to all three of us. As it is your egg who will host the child, you are one hundred percent the mother. However, the actual insemination will need to be done separately, and by quite different methods," Severus explained, even in his stoic state still unable to keep the blush from his cheeks.

"Oh, I'm quite familiar with the process, Severus; no need to blush. I trust Poppy, and we've gone over the details quite a bit. She joked about being the one to impregnate me just last week!"

Harry spluttered into his tea and thought his face might melt from how hot his blush was getting. He was extremely glad for the distraction when Draco joined them, Lucius following behind him as well. Aurora simply nodded towards the man with a friendly smile.

"I hear I am about to become an uncle?" Lucius asked with a smirk.

"Yes, and our sons godfathers. They grow up so terribly fast," said Remus, chuckling at the scowl on his husband's face.

Lucius chuckled quietly, brushing the hair from Draco's forehead in an oddly tender gesture. "And yet, you want another. I always thought one was quite enough."

"Gee thanks, Dad," Draco said, rolling his eyes. He glared as his father hit him in the shin with his ridiculous cane, and moved over to sit beside Harry.

Severus swirled the violet potion around in its vial, catching Aurora's excited smile as she watched the potion move around in its glass home. "Yes, well, as much as we love our son, we thought trying to raise a child from infancy would be a delightful challenge."

Everyone in the room laughed, and the intensity increased as Severus pulled out a chair for Aurora, and instructed Remus to firecall the infirmary and ensure that poppy was ready for the procedure. Once everything was in order, Severus popped the cork on the vial and held it up, looking to his husband with a gentle smile.

"Ready to make a baby, love?"

Remus laughed and kissed Severus quite languidly. His hand joined Severus' on the long vial and they carefully poured it into Aurora's mouth, together.

Professor Sinistra swallowed down the potion and smacked her lips appreciatively. "Mmm, essence of Potions Master and Defence Professor. Tasted like grapes."

Everyone groaned at the implication, causing Aurora to laugh heartily as she stood and headed towards the floo. "Well, here goes my last trip of travelling by floo for nine months. That will probably be the worst part of the pregnancy."

"I'm very glad there isn't any restrictions on alcohol for the fathers, that's for sure," Severus said with a smirk, awkwardly accepting the hug that Aurora offered, and letting go of his husband for long enough to let them embrace as well.

"Here goes nothing!" With a flash of green, the Astronomy Professor was through the floo and into the infirmary, where the real magic would happen.

"How long will it be before we know if it took?" Harry asked as he allowed himself to be wrapped in Draco's arms. Lucius sat beside his son on the sofa, looking to all the world as if he had absolutely no problem with the Slytherin cuddling up to another boy; and honestly, he didn't.

"We should know within the hour. Until then, I think I'd like to see if I can beat an old friend at chess," Severus said with a pointed look at Lucius, who took up the challenge and flexed his fingers as the Wizard's chess board was set up for play.

After watching the Potions Master and the ex-Death Eater thoroughly trounce each other numerous times at chess, Harry was getting antsy and excited. Just as he thought he would go insane, there was a short knock on the door. Harry jumped up and ran to answer, smiling as his Astronomy Professor came through.

"Well, since I couldn't use the floo, I walked all the way down to let you all know: I'm officially pregnant!"

There was an uproar of excited laughter as hugs were passed all around. They were so absorbed in their excitement that they did not hear the floo, nor notice the Deputy Headmistress step through, a very dark look on her face.

"I have some news."

Everyone turned to look at her, shocked to see that she was even in the room. It was well past midnight already, but Minerva looked quite wide awake. Aurora smiled and told McGonagall of her own news.

"Well, congratulations to you all. However, I'm sorry to say that I must cut into your celebrations..." It looked as though she were steeling herself to say the next words, and as she looked directly into Harry's green eyes, she said, "The portrait of Albus Dumbledore has appeared in the Head's office. The Headmaster is gone."

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**A/N:** To those few readers who were worried that this was going to turn into an mpreg fic, fear not! I CANNOT STAND mpreg fics. I run away at the sight of them. It's just TOO unrealistic for my tastes, and truthfully, not ever really written in a tasteful manner. Also, I know I am horrible for leaving you with that cliffy. However, you shall all survive, I'm sure. PLEASE review and let me know what you think! I need you guys now more than ever!


	42. The Beginning of the End

**A/N: **Hello readers! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've been having a terribly hard time writing lately! I seem to have this permanent block, and I'm trying to fix it! Please bear with me and stay patient! I hope you enjoy this chapter, though it is a sad one.

* * *

**Ch 42.  
The Beginning of the End**

Harry sat curled up on the sofa with Draco, watching as Severus paced back and forth, Remus trying to get him to sit down and just relax. The Potions Master sent him a venomous glare and continued pacing in front of the hearth. Aurora had left some time ago to get her rest, though she was extremely saddened and confused by the news Professor McGonagall had told them all.

"No, I cannot relax, Remus! Somewhere, Dumbledore is lying dead! That foolish old man never told anyone where he was going!"

Harry flinched with each word as Draco hugged him closer. Lucius had also taken his leave earlier, giving his condolences and making a quick exit. Remus saw the pale, drawn look on Harry's face and sighed.

"Harry, Draco; please go to bed. Or if you do not sleep, at least try to rest," Remus requested, pointing them towards Harry's room with an exhausted look of pain on his face. As soon as the boys were out of ear shot, Remus stood up and blocked his husband's pacing pathway.

"Severus, I understand that you are upset; we all are. But you need to think about our son, and what your actions are doing to him. He is on the verge of a breakdown, and you're supposed to be the one who stays strong for him."

Severus let his crossed arms fall to his sides as if in defeat, giving his husband a deep look of pain that otherwise would have been hidden from the rest of the world. "What if I cannot do that, Remus? What if I'm not strong enough? Albus is dead." The Potions Master allowed himself to be pulled into a tight embrace, leaning his head heavily on the werewolf's shoulder, seeking comfort and warmth like a lost child.

"Just imagine how Harry feels, if his death is affecting you so. I'm sorry, love," Remus whispered, holding his husband tightly to his chest as the man shook and tried to fight off the emotions taking him over. They both jumped as the floo flared to life and expelled the new Headmistress.

"Kingsley has just sent a message; they've found Albus." The Transfiguration Professor looked incredibly tired and saddened as she walked over and pat Severus gently on the shoulder. She knew the younger man had thought of the Headmaster as a sort of surrogate father.

Severus pulled away from his husband and took a deep breath, pulling himself back together before their very eyes. He stood taller, and his face showed much less emotion. "I want to see him."

Minerva's expression grew even graver, if possible. She shook her head slowly and indicated that they should all sit down before she explained. The Potions Master reluctantly followed her as Remus gave him a firm push in the right direction.

"I'm afraid the manner in which Albus' body was left is not one you would want to encounter, Severus. Kingsley was obviously upset himself, and I could only hear it in his voice from his Patronus. I elected to have him picked up by St. Mungo's until we figure out what we're to do."

"What did that bastard do to him?" Remus asked, his mind full of all manner of horrible things. He gripped Severus' hand tightly as the man seethed with anger and pent up emotions.

"Do you really want to know? If I tell you, will you desist from actually attempting to go see him?" the Headmistress asked, mainly of the Potions Professor. She waited a full minute before the man sighed in defeat and nodded.

"Albus' body was found submerged in the Fountain of Magical Brethren in the Ministry's Atrium. Written across the tiles in blood was a verse out of the Muggle Bible, or so Kingsley informed me."

"What did it say?" Severus asked, trying to contain his shock at how bold the Dark Lord was getting. How on earth was he supposed to tell Harry? _Was_ he supposed to tell Harry, or let his son only imagine the Headmaster's death?

"'But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, _Fear him_.'"

There was a tense silence as they all digested just what that meant. Remus had been raised by a Wizard father and a Muggle mother, both of which had been Christian. He'd been raised in the church and knew of the Bible verse; Luke 12:5.

"Why would Voldemort use a verse from the Muggle Bible of all things?" Remus asked, wondering how on earth the madman had ever even heard such a thing before.

Minerva could only shrug and shake her head in bewilderment. "I haven't the slightest clue, Remus. My only guess is that he meant to mock those who support equal rights for Muggle-borns and half-bloods. He always referred to Albus as a Muggle loving fool, even in the first war."

"He thinks just because he's taken our leader, that he's won. He's gravely mistaken," Severus snapped. He stood up and moved to his liquor cabinet, where he poured three generous glasses of fire-whiskey and passed them to his husband and now-boss.

"As little as I wish to deal with such matters at a time like this, it is my duty. I've located Albus' will, and he's asked to be buried somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts. He's warned that Aberforth might fight to get him buried in Godric's Hollow with their mother and sister, but because the will is magically binding to the beneficiary, Albus' wishes must be met. There is another issue which directly affects you, Severus," said Minerva, who had sipped almost half of her whiskey down by then.

"Albus has appointed you as Deputy Headmaster, since I now have the position of Headmistress. For the time being, I will continue to do both jobs because there is not enough time to train you in all of the duties. This summer we will remedy that."

Severus downed the last of his whiskey and set his glass aside, noticing that Remus had only taken a small sip of the alcohol so far. He admired his husband's strength of will. "Why me? Why not Filius or Pomona? They've been here longer and would probably know what to do."

"Because it's as he wishes, my boy. There is also a lot of things that have been left to you and Harry, but the Ministry has invoked their right to hold the will and examine the items left behind, so I cannot physically give you anything at this time," Minerva said, her obvious distaste of the Ministry's actions clearly displayed on her face.

"What was left to Harry? Merlin knows what that man might try to pull, even from the grave," Severus said with an exasperated sigh. He turned to look down the hall towards his son's bedroom. The door was closed, despite his rule against it whilst Draco was with him. He'd forgive his son this time.

"The Sword of Gryffindor, for one thing. Quite a few books and trunks full of various things. Albus' box of memories was written in as well. The pensieve was left to you, however," the Headmistress said, looking pointedly at the Potions Master.

"I've no idea what he was teaching the boy, Minerva. Harry's been reluctant to part with any details, but I know it was important."

Severus ignored the suspicious look Remus sent him, and shook his head a fraction of an inch to dissuade Remus from questioning him. He knew perfectly well what Dumbledore had been teaching Harry. His point in asking McGonagall was to see if she perhaps had been let in on the secret by the old man as well, and if she would admit to it if she knew.

"Your guess is as good mine, Severus. Perhaps with his passing, Harry will be more willing to share?" The Headmistress stood from her seat, setting her empty glass aside and nodding her thanks to the Potions Professor.

"It has been a long night, and we all need our rest. I will be making the announcement of Albus' death to the rest of the school in the morning, so if you do not wish to be there, eat in your quarters. I suggest keeping Harry here so he can avoid the questions he's sure to receive. As you know, we also offer grief counselling to the students, and though I doubt any of your Slytherins will be grief stricken, I will refer them to Poppy for their counselling instead of yourself, Severus."

"Thank you, Minerva."

S~S~S~S

The morning came much too early for Harry's liking. Draco was curled up against his side, his blonde tresses scattered across his chest as the Slytherin slept peacefully. Harry had pretended to fall asleep the night before to appease Draco, laying awake for most of the night. Now that Dumbledore was gone, Harry was essentially on his own when it came to the Horcruxes. Though Harry knew the Headmaster's life was quickly coming to an end, he was shocked by the man's death. He wished the Headmaster had had just a little more time. Harry had so many questions, and the way he treated the elderly man the last time they'd spoken...Harry screwed his face up against the tears that threatened to spill. He couldn't believe how horrible he'd been to Dumbledore.

Before his mind and their treacherous thoughts could take hold of him, there was a soft knock on his bedroom door. He called for the visitor to come in, and Draco woke with a big yawn and a stretch. He sat up and gave Harry a good morning kiss, despite their morning breath, just as the Potions Master entered Harry's room.

"Draco, I'd like to speak with Harry for a moment in private, please."

Draco frowned before nodding and giving Harry another kiss, brushing his messy locks aside with a look that Harry could only describe as complete understanding. Once Draco had left and shut the door behind him, Severus sat down beside his son with a heavy sigh.

"You look exhausted, Dad."

"I could say the same for you. Did you sleep at all last night?" Severus asked, the concern evident in his deep voice. Harry had deep dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like he had been moments from tears.

Harry shook his head and sat up, his back leaning against his headboard and his knees drawn up to his chest. "I couldn't; there was no way. I can't believe he's gone...I was so _horrible_ to him, Dad. I never got to apologize," Harry choked out, finally letting the tears come. He was curled in on himself, but somehow in the next moment, he was in his father's arms, crying into the shoulder of the man's robes.

"The Headmaster would not hold it against you, Harry. I'm sure even without an apology, he knew things said in anger are most often not true."

Harry just cried harder, and his father's grip tightened as he held his son close. Harry was glad that the Potions Professor just let him cry, not trying to tell him that everything would be alright. Empty words were not a comfort to Harry, and somehow, Severus knew that.

Drying his eyes, Harry pulled away from the embrace, but stayed very close to his father, leaning against his side. He felt drained and numb. "I told him that he was no good to me, dead or alive. He was risking everything to help me find the Horcruxes, and I was an ungrateful little shit to him. I knew he didn't have much time left, that I should apologize before it was too late, but my stupid pride stopped me, and now the curse finally took him."

Severus tensed beside Harry, causing the boy to give him a curious look. Harry thought that the Headmaster had died of natural causes? If he thought telling Harry of how the Headmaster was found was going to be hard, it was nothing compared to how hard it was going to be to tell him that the Headmaster had been murdered.

"Harry, the Headmaster's body was found at the Ministry of Magic. I do not know where he had been, but I do know that he did not die at the Ministry. He was moved there, post-mortem."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his breath hitching. His father was implying that Dumbledore had been...had been... "Dumbledore was murdered, wasn't he?" Harry asked, his sense of detachment being replaced by pure, unadulterated anger.

"Yes, Harry. The Dark Lord killed Albus."

Harry stood up and began to pace, his fists clenched at his sides. He so wanted to punch something, but he knew his father would stop him. Where had Dumbledore gone that night? Harry knew he was going to find another Horcrux, but Dumbledore had not only refused to take him along, but to tell him where he was going. He felt another great pang of regret as he realized that the Headmaster had died trying to help Harry.

"He was looking for a Horcrux. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, and he refused to take me along, even though he had promised to take me before."

"He did _what?_ Harry, the Headmaster was quite right in not taking you along! Look at what happened! If you had been there, you'd be dead too," Severus said, rising to his feet as his son glared at him.

"I'm tired of sitting back and watching everyone die while I do nothing! I want to _fight_ him, Dad, but no one will let me! If I'm the only one that can kill him, then God damn it, _let me do it!_" Harry shouted, shaking in anger at not only Voldemort, but Dumbledore, his father, the Order – anyone who had ever stood in his way from fighting his own battle. He was done; it stopped there. _No_ one else would die for him. _Ever_.

Severus walked forward and grabbed Harry's shoulders, forcing the boy to look him straight in the eyes. There was a spark as Harry's magic began to get out of control over his anger. "Listen to me very closely, Harry! When you stopped the stone during the warding, what did you do wrong?"

Harry tried to pull away, but at the tightening on his shoulders and the glare from his father, he gave up, his whole frame slumping in defeat. "I broke the wards and put all of my classmates in danger."

"Yes, but there was more than that, and you _still_ don't see it! You risked your _own_ life, Harry. You somehow fail to realize the value of your life, putting everyone else's safety above your own. What did I tell you after I woke up in the infirmary? You cannot always play the hero, and no one should be more important to you than you. Going off to face the Dark Lord before all of the Horcruxes are destroyed is _extremely_ foolish, and would only result in your death. Yes, you are the one who must defeat him, but you cannot do so until those pieces of his soul are destroyed, so there is no sense in risking yourself before that. I understand that you feel the need to fight, but you must do it by gathering your determination to find these objects and a way to destroy them. Then, Harry, and _only_ then can you effectively go after the Dark Lord with any hopes of coming out the victor."

Harry stood, stunned to the spot by his father's vehement speech. He didn't understand why his father didn't see that going with the Headmaster was part of finding the Horcruxes. There was no way to find them without putting himself at considerable risk. Didn't Snape realize that?

"He promised that the next time he located a Horcrux, he would take me along. I'm going to be at risk no matter what I do, Dad. As soon as he knows I'm going after the Horcruxes, he'll hunt me more vigorously than he ever did before!"

"When will you finally listen and realize that you don't have to do everything alone, Harry? The Headmaster was going to retrieve the Horcrux and most likely destroy it there, or bring it back so you could help. It is not your job alone to find them and destroy them. People will always be there to help!"

"No! No one else is going to risk themselves for me. It is _my_ job to destroy him, and I'm not going to let anyone else die trying to help me. I've caused too much death already," Harry seethed, finally pulling away from his father's grip, only to turn and continue his earlier pacing.

Severus felt his chest tighten at his son's words. The boy's capacity for guilt, especially guilt that was not rightfully his, would never cease to amaze the Potions Master. He reached out and pulled his son to him, forcing him to sit down on the edge of the bed, while Severus kneeled in front of him, his hands planted on the teen's knees so that he could not escape again.

"Harry...You have not caused a single death. You carry a burden that is not yours, and nothing I have done so far has been enough to convince you of that. The deaths that have happened around you are the fault of those who caused them. The Dark Lord killed your parents, Dumbledore and Cedric, Bellatrix killed Black, and various Death Eaters killed the Dursleys. Not one of them died from your hand. The people who have died for you knew what they were doing, understood the risks – even the Dursleys. I would die for you in less than a heartbeat, even if it was just so that you could live a day longer. You are not alone. _Never_ alone, do you understand me?"

Harry gulped and blinked away the tears that threatened to come back at the thought of his father dying for him. He knew he wasn't alone, but that did not change the fact that he couldn't let anyone else die to save him. His life was no more valuable than the next person's, and his father needed to understand _that_. For now though, he would appease his father, and go along with it.

"Yes, sir."

Severus sighed in relief and stood up, sitting beside his son and drawing him into another tight hug. "I am sorry for being so harsh with you, but you must understand that you are more important to me than I could ever explain, and I love you. I only want to keep you safe."

Harry sighed and hugged his father tighter, trying not to let the guilt of lying to his father get to him. "I know, Dad. I love you too." That love was what allowed Harry to lie, to keep his _father_ safe.

S~S~S~S

A funeral for the Headmaster was scheduled for that following weekend. Dumbledore's death had been announced as headline news in the _Daily Prophet_ and generally every other piece of wizarding news media. People around the world were shocked and saddened, and many planned to attend the funeral and memorial for the Headmaster.

The students of Hogwarts were very subdued, and the castle itself seemed to be in mourning. All of the enchanted windows in the castle showed horrific thunder storms, and the quality of food even went down as the house elves mourned their Master's passing. The ghosts floated around with solemn expressions, pacing in front of the gargoyles that flanked the Headmaster's – now Headmistress's – office. Professor McGonagall had yet to move into the Head office, too upset to take over the man's domain so soon.

Classes had been cancelled for a week in order for the students and staff alike to grieve and seek counselling, should they feel they had need of it. Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione spent most of the time in Snape's dungeon quarters, helping Remus write the Headmaster's eulogy and planning the DA's tribute to the late Headmaster.

It had originally been Ron's idea, the tribute. Every member of the DA had been contacted and instructed to prepare for a possible attack at the Headmaster's funeral. There would be plenty of Ministry appointed security, not to mention the entire Order, but Harry had no doubt that some brave Death Eater would try to take advantage of the huge gathering of those from the Light.

Ron had jokingly suggested that the DA should all simultaneously cast their Patronus, directing the protectors to gather around Dumbledore's tomb, just in case. Harry and Hermione had both immediately jumped at the idea, and a DA meeting was being held that night to inform all of the members and get some last minute practice in for all of those students who hadn't quite gotten the hang of the charm yet. Draco, having never attended a meeting, had never successfully cast a corporeal Patronus, so Harry was going to take him along, induct him into the DA, and teach him the charm.

There were many more people than the previous year gathered in the Room of Requirement. Harry looked around, amazed at the number of people, and blanched when they all look to him for direction. He cast Hermione a pleading look and she took pity, taking the lead.

"All right, those of you who have successfully learned the Patronus charm and can cast it, partner up with someone who is having trouble with the charm or needs to learn it. Things will go much faster this way. If anyone is still having trouble, you can seek myself or Harry out, and we'll help. Everyone got it? Good, then split up."

Harry turned to Draco, who looked a bit nervous amongst the many Gryffindors in the room. Though they had been dating for some time, and most people accepted it, there were a fair few who thought that Draco was not to be trusted, and gave him scathing looks for even being in the room with the DA. Harry was sure to scowl at the offending members.

"Ok, Draco. The most important part of learning to cast your Patronus is the memory that you choose. In order to successfully cast a full corporeal Patronus, you have to focus on a very happy memory, preferably the happiest memory you have. A Patronus is the embodiment of pureness and is your protector. It will use the power from your happy memory, and project a familiar, the animal that represents your soul. Understand?" Harry explained, getting back into the hang of teaching quite quickly. He vaguely thought that teaching was going to be in his future as a career.

"Yes. I need to concentrate on a happy memory in order to cast. How will I know if it's the right memory?" Draco asked, frowning as he searched his mind for what he would consider to be his happiest memory. Something involving Harry, he was sure, but what?

"You'll know when you try to cast the charm. If it isn't strong enough, either nothing will happen or you'll only produce light vapour. The happier the memory, the clearer form your Patronus will take on. Once you successfully cast a corporeal Patronus, be sure to always use that memory, or one equally as happy, and your Patronus will be easy to call forth whenever you have need of it. Now think as hard as you can and decide on a memory. Once you find it, let that remembered feeling of happiness fill you up, and say Expecto Patronum, no wand for right now," Harry instructed. He watched Draco close his eyes, a pronounced look of concentration on his pale features.

Happy...happy...Draco had many happy memories, almost all of them involving Harry, but what was his happiest? Their first kiss was a really happy one, or their first time – perhaps he was thinking of the wrong sort of happy. Happiness, joy, euphoria...Draco remembered sitting on his bed beside Harry, talking after days of Harry avoiding him after a fight they'd had, and what the conversation had unearthed.

"_Yes, I do love you, and I'm sorry for avoiding you for the last couple of days."_

Draco had his memory as he felt his heart racing and a smile spread on his face. He opened his eyes slowly and stared into beautiful emerald. "Expecto Patronum."

Harry smiled back at the blonde, a little curious as to what memory had inspired the delighted smile on his boyfriend's face. He could ask later. Now it was time for Draco to try to cast the charm.

"Alright, now raise your wand and say the charm while doing a simple wrist-turn wand movement."

Draco took a deep breath, raised his wand and made sure he was concentrating on his memory. He looked over at Harry once more, and felt the happiness within him surge as his boyfriend gave him an encouraging smile. With a swift turn of his wrist, Draco firmly called, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A bright, mist-like light expelled forth from his wand, causing many people around Draco to pause and stare. After a few seconds, it was obvious he hadn't been completely successful, as it did not form into a familiar, but dissipated. Draco frowned and shook his head.

"I don't understand. That was definitely my happiest memory."

"Not being able to cast on the first try is perfectly normal. That you produced that much light vapour on the first go shows that the memory you chose was indeed powerful. Very few people can cast a Patronus, with the exception of a lot of people in this room. Even fully trained adult witches and wizards cannot cast a corporeal Patronus. It takes not only skill, but a certain mindset. In the complicated theory of the spell, your Patronus is supposed to not only symbolize your soul, but who or what you think of as a safe-haven, or gives you protection. Are you sure the memory you chose is your utmost happiest?" Harry asked, smiling as Ginny cast her horse Patronus with her partner beside them. It galloped around Draco's head for a minute before fading.

"Well, yeah, I think so," Draco said with a shrug. He sighed when Harry gave him a look and rolled his eyes, knowing his boyfriend was extremely curious. "I chose the memory of the first time you told me you loved me."

Harry's grin grew into a wide smile, and he couldn't help the blush that stained his cheeks. He was completely flattered and honoured that Draco would pick that particular memory as his happiest. "Well, I can't really gauge the amount of happiness you feel from any memory, but I can tell you the memory I use now."

"Yeah, alright. What do you use?"

"The first time Severus referred to me as his son. All I have ever wanted was to have a parent who cared for me and loved me, and while I know my birth parents did those things, I can't remember that. The feeling of complete acceptance and belonging makes me happier than I've ever been before."

Draco nodded, agreeing that the memory made sense. Maybe he should try a memory like Harry's? Draco tried to think of happy memories involving his parents. Trips to the Chateau in France, that summer in Italy, Christmas in Sweden with his Maternal grandparents. Those were all happy times, but not happy enough. Thinking more recently, Draco felt a pang as he had to exclude his mother, and think only of his father. That's when he knew he had his memory.

"_I do love him, Father, more than I could ever try to explain. But I want you to know that I love you too, and I never wanted to have to give either of you up –" Draco was cut off as his father raised a hand to stall him._

"_Your loyalty is not in question, Draco. I knew what I was getting into, and I prepared myself for your ire. I love you too, Son. I just hope you understand what you're getting yourself into..."_

That feeling of complete acceptance, of contentment filled him with so much happiness. Knowing he would never have to give either of the people he loved the most up was, to date, his happiest memory.

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

The light that burst from Draco's wand was much brighter, and after it disconnected from the tip, it swirled and began to take the shape of a beautiful, large peacock. It reminded Draco a lot of the albino peacocks that used to roam the Manor, and how his father used to show such tenderness when he walked the grounds with Draco and greeted the birds by name. The peacock Patronus strut importantly around Harry and Draco, then flared its great feathers, and disappeared.

"You did it! That was amazing, Draco! Only your second try!" Harry exclaimed, giving Draco a smacking kiss in celebration. The blonde was beaming from ear to ear, accepting congratulations from the few DA members around him.

"What were you thinking of?" Harry asked quietly as the people around them went back to their own practicing.

Draco smiled and gave Harry a grateful look. "I was thinking of when my father told me that he accepted our relationship, and that he still loved me."

Harry pulled the Slytherin to him and kissed him for long seconds, causing a few of their fellow students to wolf whistle and giggle. He pulled away and brushed a hand against the blonde's cheek, staring into his molten silver eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Aw! How sweet!" Parvati squealed as she walked by, Lavender following behind her. Harry just rolled his eyes while Draco blushed.

S~S~S~S

Harry had never seen so many witches and wizards gathered in one place. White chairs were lined up beside the Black lake as far as the eye could see, and various pointed, feathered, bejewelled, and ruffled hats bedecked most of the mourners. At the edge of the Dark forest stood the Centaurs, led by Bane, and breaking the surface of the Black lake were the Merpeople who lived there.

On one side of the crowd of seats sat all of the Hogwarts students and staff, the other half occupied by witches and wizards from all over the world. It seemed as though every witch and wizard in Europe had come to pay their respects to Albus Dumbledore.

Harry, Draco, Ron and Hermione all sat in the row behind the Hogwarts staff, Severus and Remus just in front of them. Harry hadn't even wanted to attend, but upon receiving a lengthy lecture on regret from Remus, he'd agreed to go. Draco was never more than a foot away, holding his hand, wrapping him in his arms, or rubbing his shoulders. Harry was extremely glad for the support.

Hermione had been wiping at her tearing eyes all day, and Ron was using the opportunity to comfort her as much as he could. It seemed their feud had finally ended, and the relationship was back on. Harry was happy for them, despite his lingering sense of betrayal due to Ron's abandonment. It would take much longer than a few months for him to forgive the redhead completely.

Harry instinctively tuned him out as Fudge stood at the podium just to the side of the pure white marble tomb and began his speech. He had no interest whatsoever in what the former Minister had to say about Dumbledore. The man was a tool and had only made life more difficult for the late Headmaster by refusing to work with the Order. A lot of Harry's own regrets could have been avoided if Fudge had just listened to Harry and Dumbledore about Voldemort's return, Sirius would probably still be alive, and Voldemort wouldn't be as brave and bold as he'd been lately. Harry had no idea why the man was even speaking at Dumbledore's funeral, but he ignored it anyways.

An elbow in his ribs brought Harry out of his musings, and he glared at Draco, who was pointing towards the podium. Harry was shocked when he looked over and saw his father standing there, waiting for the whispering to die down before he began. He had no idea his father had been planning to speak at the service, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if his dad hadn't told him on purpose.

"Albus Dumbledore was my boss, my mentor, my saviour, and the father I never had. He took me in when I most needed it, and he gave me the second chance that I did not believe I deserved. While the man made many mistakes, he was only human, and though we expected so much more from him, he had his faults. He was powerful not only in magical ability, but in presence alone, and just the mention of his name is enough to cause a stir.

"Albus died while trying to help protect my son. He gave his life so that everyone else in the Wizarding world may have a chance to live without the fear of Voldemort constantly hanging over them. Albus has done more for our world than any one of you could truly understand, and his death is a great loss to us all. Remember that, when the assuredly false rumours about the late Headmaster begin to surface."

There was a respectful silence as Severus made his way back to his seat, accepting a kiss from Remus. A few more people stood to speak, but again, Harry tuned them out. What they said wasn't important to him. The fact of the matter was that Dumbledore was dead, and Harry would never have his help, his guidance, or his gentle smile focused on him again. He leaned heavily against Draco as the moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes, but he managed to stay in control of himself.

The funeral seemed to end as soon as it began, Harry only realizing it was over by the crowd of people rising to leave. He sighed in relief, glad that Voldemort hadn't decided to take advantage of the gathering of important people and attack. As Harry and Draco met up with Severus, Remus, Ron and Hermione, Harry knew he had thought too soon.

A bitter cold feeling swept through the crowd, making everyone shudder in unison. Harry whirled around, his mouth gaping as screams rang out all around him. The mourners were running towards the gates of Hogwarts, trying to get passed the wards so that they could apparate, but the Dementors were moving too fast. Even as the first few people were attacked, shouts from various spots in the crowd rang out.

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

A magical menagerie of wispy, silver animals shot out towards the cluster of Dementors. A few of them shrieked and streaked off, away from the castle, but the majority only stumbled, then continued to pursue the mourners. Harry turned to see all the members of the DA, and even a few students who had never attended a meeting, gather into a large group. They shot off another wall of Patroni, sending a few more of the Dementors shrieking away.

"Harry, Draco; get inside the castle and don't come back out until the coast is clear!" Severus shouted over the screams and panicked hustling of the crowd.

"No, we need to help!" Harry insisted, casting his Patronus and directing it to run down a Dementor, who had hold of the lapels of a man's suite and was mere inches from Kissing him.

Harry's next casting went astray as he was jerked around to face his father, a frightening scowl on his face. "Inside, now! Do _not_ argue with me, Harry James Potter."

Harry made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and only struggled halfheartedly as Draco began to pull him towards the castle. He turned and cast his Patronus one more time to fend off a Dementor swooping in on Seamus, Neville and Dean. Harry let Draco pull him just barely inside the huge doors of the castle, shaking his hand off as he attempted to drag him further into the Entrance Hall.

"Dad said to get inside, and I am, so stop!"

Draco stomped his foot in frustration and glared. "You're going to get yourself killed, Harry! What has Severus been telling you about self-sacrifice and being the hero? The Order and half the Ministry are out there, not to mention the DA. They can handle it!"

"How can you just stand idly by without wanting to help? I can't do it, Draco! It has nothing to do with playing the hero, it has to do with making sure the people I love stay safe! Why doesn't anyone fucking understand that?"

Before Draco could respond, there was commotion a few feet away at the bottom of the stone steps, and both teens turned to investigate. Harry felt his heart slam into his throat as he watched his father carry Remus up the steps, his head lolling to the side and his face more pale than Harry had ever seen it before.

"Moony! Dad, what happened?"

Severus didn't pause to explain, but continued up the spiral staircase to the infirmary, knowing that his son and godson would follow along. Once there, he laid Remus in the closest bed and swept the gray and tawny locks out of his eyes. Only a few minutes after Harry and Draco ran in, Poppy burst through the doors and made a bee-line for Remus.

"Are his vitals still low?"

"Yes, and his breathing is still extremely shallow. His pulse is still ebbing, I can't bring it up," Severus choked, fighting the emotions that threatened to take him over. He needed to stay strong for Remus, but it was proving extremely difficult as he checked the werewolf's pulse and found that it had slowed even more. He didn't realize how badly he was shaking nor the pitiful noises that were escaping from his throat before Poppy pushed a calming draught into his hands, shooing him to the side.

"Dad...what happened?" Harry asked again, coming up beside the Potions Master and grasping his arm gently as he stared at Remus, Madam Pomfrey bustling around with different potions and casting various spells to check their affects. It frightened Harry to see his father so emotionally distraught. The man was known for being stoic in the face of even the most horrible torture, but seeing his husband near death was enough to shake his stony façade.

"A Dementor caught him and had already clamped its jaws on him before I could get there. He was being Kissed...I used an extremely dark and illegal spell to destroy the Dementor, but I don't know if he...if it took his..."

Harry shushed his father and wrapped his arms tightly around the man, feeling his own heart ache. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. He knew empty words of comfort never helped him feel better. When he father hugged him tight and clung on like his life depended on it, Harry knew he didn't need to do anything else.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I'm so terrible with my cliffhangers. Sorry! It's the most logical place to end the chapter! There's plenty more to come, so please stick with me, and review to let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading!


	43. Moving Plans

**A/N:** Hey there readers! It's update time! This chapter is pretty mild as chapters go, but let's just say it's the calm before the storm. Thanks to my muse, I've gotten a LOT of writing done within the past couple of weeks, and I have up to chapter 47 completed! I predict quite a few more chapters. This is the story that never ends, apparently. Also, _Never Alone_ has reached a huge milestone! The story, including chapters not yet posted, has officially reach 615 pages! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading!

* * *

**Ch 43.  
Moving Plans**

Sleeping in a cramped armchair wasn't the most comfortable thing on the planet, but Harry was willing to do anything to support his father. The Potions Master was lying half-way sprawled across his husband, his body twisted at an uncomfortable angle in the chair he was sitting in beside the hospital bed. Harry couldn't figure out what had woken him until he saw the early light of morning shining in through the high windows. He wondered vaguely when Draco had left, and realized he couldn't remember the blonde leaving at all the night before. He sighed heavily.

Remus was still unconscious, his face pale and clammy, though peaceful. Harry took a long look at the man, and felt a pang in his heart. He looked so ancient compared to the Potions Master. Lycanthropy had worn Remus down until he looked twenty years older than his real age. The wasted, fragile look about the Defence Professor made Harry want to rush to his side and cling on, make sure he was still alive. He wanted to make sure that Remus hadn't left him like his parents, like Sirius.

Harry didn't realize he had moved towards the hospital bed until his knees bumped the mattress. There they were; his parents. They looked so peaceful in sleep, though there was a slight crease between the Potions Master's eyes that told of how long the man had sat awake the night before. Without really consciously thinking about it, Harry climbed into the bed and curled up next to his stepfather, reaching out to grip one of Severus' hands in his own. He fell asleep once more.

A short time later, Harry woke to the feeling of long fingers trailing slowly through his messy hair. He blinked his eyes open and expected to see the Potions Professor awake, but the man was still dozing. With a gasp Harry sat up and was met by a gentle smile and tired amber eyes.

"Remus! You're ok!" Harry gasped, launching himself at the man, who let out a gust of air as he chuckled softly. There was a shifting beside them, and the hug suddenly became a group hug as Severus gathered his husband and son closer to him.

"Oh thank Merlin," Severus whispered in relief, placing a chaste kiss on the werewolf's lips. There was a noise of impatience and a clearing of a throat above them, and the hug was broken as they all turned to look at Madam Pomfrey, who managed to look annoyed while still smiling.

"Give him some breathing room, you two!"

Severus and Harry reluctantly pulled away and moved from the bed so that the matron could do her job, running diagnostics, administering potions and clucking like a mother hen. Remus looked exactly as if he was being fussed over by an overbearing mother, which made sense; Madam Pomfrey had been the one to fetch Remus from the Shrieking Shack all those years and heal the wounds he would inflict on himself.

After Madam Pomfrey was satisfied that Remus was stable, she allowed the Potions Master and young Gryffindor to approach once more. "He'll be just fine, but he still needs his rest! You two look as though you could use a hot meal and a good night's sleep as well. You all push yourselves too far!"

Severus ignored the matrons ranting as he collected Remus' hand in his once more, offering him a weary smile. "You scared the hell out of us, Remus."

Remus gave a heavy sigh and looked over at his son, who indeed looked like he'd been run over by the Hogwarts Express and kept awake for a week. "I'm sorry. I was casting my Patronus towards the students to help protect them and I just…didn't think of protecting myself. When the thoughts started running and that dread took me over, I just couldn't move. I saw my death, Severus, and it was horrible," Remus croaked, squeezing his husband's hand tightly in his own.

"Shh, love. It'll be alright. You're safe now, and we have a big thing to look forward to. A baby, Remus; we're having a baby!" Severus breathed, still not quite believing that fact just yet. He couldn't believe he'd have an infant in his care in nine short months. Secretly, he agreed with Harry's insistence for the child to be a girl.

Remus smiled widely and pulled Severus down for a deep kiss, causing Harry to smile and chuckle. "Oh, get a room you two!"

The two men laughed, still with eyes only for each other. Harry couldn't help but think how drastically his father had changed in such a short time. The old snarky Potions Master of the past had been tamed and softened into this passionate, powerful man. He was still snarky and sarcastic as hell, of course, but he wouldn't be Severus Snape without all that. Harry got the best of both worlds with his witty comebacks and his loving disposition as a father. He couldn't wait to see how the man would be with a newborn baby around.

The moment was interrupted when the now-Headmistress entered the infirmary. She asked after Remus' health and conveyed her relief that he would be just fine. She still looked deeply saddened by her predecessor's death, but she was obviously taking her new job quite seriously. "Severus, I was wondering if I could have a quick word?"

Severus gave Remus one last kiss before standing and nodding succinctly. "Of course Headmistress. Would you like to join me for tea? I could use a cup, and forgive me for saying, but you look like you could use one too."

Minerva smiled and nodded appreciatively. Leave it to her new Deputy Headmaster to point out her faults. That was his job now, after all, and Merlin knew he had plenty of practice with it. "That would be most welcome, Severus. I'll not keep him long, Remus. Try to get some more rest."

"Thank you, Headmistress," said Remus, failing to hide a large yawn from the matron as she checked his vitals once more.

"Nope, out all of you! You can't fool me, Mr. Lupin-Snape. Time to rest again, dear," Poppy said sternly, though she had a faint smile playing at her lips the entire time. She snorted as the man pouted at her.

Harry chuckled and kissed his step-father gently on the cheek. "Rest well, Moony." He would go find Draco and apologize for the way he had talked to him the day before. He had been so angry that he'd not been allowed to fight, but that didn't give him an excuse to take out his ire on his boyfriend.

Remus was asleep before everyone had left the hospital wing, and they all made a hasty, quiet exit.

S~S~S~S

Harry knocked gently on Draco's door instead of just barging in using the password. He would let the blonde decide to speak to him on his own terms instead of forcing his presence on Draco. He was therefore a little surprised when the elder Malfoy answered the door instead.

"Ah, Potter. How is your father fairing?" Lucius Malfoy asked as he held the door open wide enough to allow the Gryffindor entrance.

Harry looked over and saw Draco sleeping peacefully in his bed, his arms curled around a plush dragon that looked as though it had seen better days. He couldn't help but smile fondly like a fool. "Remus is going to be fine, thanks. He must have been exhausted," Harry said quietly, gesturing towards the sleeping Slytherin.

Lucius frowned slightly and sat in Draco's desk chair, conjuring another similar chair for Harry to sit in. Perhaps it was time to get to know the boy who had stolen his son's heart properly. After all, they had quite a colourful history already.

"He was up most of the night worrying for your sake, actually. He was quite upset about Lupin's accident as well, but you seemed to give him the cold shoulder in the infirmary, so he made his exit. It took me quite a while to calm him down, and had to resort to extreme methods, eventually," the blonde man said with a smirk, gesturing towards the stuffed dragon clutched in the sleeping teen's arms.

Harry smiled sadly, his heart clenching as he realized how horrible he had been to his boyfriend. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a prat to him; I was just so worried. I've already lost so many people; I couldn't bear it if I lost Remus too."

Lucius nodded in understanding, twirling his platinum wedding ring around his finger nostalgically. "Mr. Potter, I would like to say a few things to you, if you wouldn't mind not interrupting until I was quite finished?"

Harry gulped, knowing he was probably about to get an earful from his boyfriend's father about the proper treatment of his pure-blood son. He nodded his agreement and prepared for a stern talking to. His jaw dropped at the man's first words.

"I would like to apologize to you, for many things. I know an apology cannot turn back time and bring your godfather back, nor take back all the torment you've suffered at my hands. Though I still believe in keeping the blood lines clean and pride myself on being one of the few true pure-bloods left, I realize now how mistaken I've been.

"When I was younger, about the same age you and Draco are now, the Dark Lord was just beginning to gain popularity. He was rumoured to be powerful and charismatic, and was bound to do great things. He stood for all of the things I had grown up believing, and flocking to a figurehead who might be able to change things seemed like the thing to do. My parents were so proud when I joined the Death Eaters, bringing with me many friends, and leaving a trail of whispers to the younger generations still in school, like your father.

"I built my legacy of buying off Ministry personnel to achieve things I wanted, spreading corruption throughout the system to manipulate laws and legislation I wanted to be passed, and those I did not. My name and money got me far, and I was invaluable to the Dark Lord. I would listen to his words as though they were gospel. I truly believed he could fix the Wizarding world, help keep the bloodlines clean to preserve the level of magic in our world.

"After the Dark Lord heard that small portion of the Prophecy, everything changed. Suddenly his greatest goal was to kill and defeat this child who was destined to someday bring his downfall. He became obsessed, so much so that he seemed to forget his real goals. Yet I still followed, bent to his every whim, and became the slave I vowed to never be. The power of his brain washing was immense. Suddenly, killing and torturing innocent people, simply because of their blood status was alright. Tracking down the whereabouts of the two families who had children who met the prophecy's specifications became every Death Eater's goal. When it was Pettigrew who ultimately gave away your parents' location, I was disappointed for not being the one to honour my master with the information.

"Even then, the thought of the Dark Lord murdering a child the same age as my own son disturbed me, but I let myself fall into the twisted logic of believing it was for a good cause. So one child would need to die in order to insure his success; there were plenty of children in the world. Still, it never did sit well in my heart. That was when my wife, Narcissa, started to lose faith in the Dark Lord. She tried to tell me the man was deranged, had lost his sense and was not the same person we had sworn our allegiance to at such a young age. By then I was already so far in, I couldn't possibly back out again. I had hung on the Dark Lord's every word, believed what he was doing to be the only way to achieve the means. I told my wife to hold her tongue and do what she was meant to do; take care of our child and stand by my side at all times.

"Then the Dark Lord killed the Potters, and failed to kill a mere toddler. I can never fully express how truly relieved I was when the Dark Lord fell that night. I had of course insured that I looked as innocent as possible, claiming to be under an Imperius curse the entire time I served the Dark Lord. Deep down I was glad to have a second chance at life, at raising my son and being with my wife. I kept up appearances the entire time he was gone, however. I had already heard the whispers that he was not truly dead, and that he'd be back. I made sure to keep my image as it had been before in order to stay in his favour should he ever return. It was that, or fear that my entire family would be killed.

"When I heard what the Dark Lord's diary did to the young Weasley girl, I was horrified. I had no idea what would happen, and to be honest, I was simply trying to rid myself of it. I cannot say I was thinking correctly in giving young Ms. Weasley the book, but I never anticipated what it would do to her. I promised myself to stay low after that. Much too soon, he was back once more. That night in the graveyard, I think I might have been even more terrified than you were. I had anticipated his return, of course, but I hoped beyond hope that it would never happen. I did what I was commanded to do, however, in order to keep my wife and son safe from retaliation, should I disobey.

"Last year in the Ministry, I was an unstable, desperate man. The Dark Lord had promised that, should we fail to retrieve the prophecy, we would pay dearly. I knew the worst thing I could lose was my family, so I did everything I could to succeed. I had convinced myself that the lives of six teenagers were not as important as the lives of my wife and son. My sister-in-law, Bellatrix, had already gone round the twist quite a few times by then, and her malice was completely genuine. I will admit I was shocked when she killed her own cousin, a pure blooded and powerful Wizard.

"I know my apology can never undo the pain I have caused you, but I hope it will help begin to build a sort of bridge. Merlin knows how, but you've become my son's very world, and it would be ill advised of me to continue to treat you as I have in the past. If you are so very important to my son, then you are important to myself as well."

Harry was stunned in place, unable to think or move or speak. He just stared at the blonde man before him, tears gathering in his eyes. The pain of losing Sirius shot up through him as though it was fresh, and hearing someone finally take responsibility for the man's death instead of blaming it on himself was threatening to undo him. Before he could speak a single word, a strangled sounding voice startled both himself and Lucius.

"Oh, Father. Thank you," Draco rasped, crawling out of bed and moving over to his father. He kissed him lightly on the cheek before wrapping the man in a tight hug, just managing to keep his tears at bay. After he released his father, he turned towards his boyfriend, who looked like he'd been hit with confundus.

"Harry, are you alright?"

Harry blinked rapidly and looked up the concerned look on Draco's face and promptly broke down in tears. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I've been so horrible to you. I'm sorry!"

Draco pulled Harry to his feet and into his arms, rubbing his back gently and whispering in his ear that it was ok, he understood, things were still ok between them. He offered his father a grateful smile as the man stood and took his leave to give them a little privacy.

S~S~S~S

The Headmistress was not at all used to being addressed as the Headmistress, and so was confused momentarily when the Potions Master referred to her as such. "Sorry about that, Severus. It's just so odd to hear people call me that. I feel like I've stepped into shoes much too large for me."

Severus set his tea aside after taking a careful sip. It was strange to sit in the Head's office, Professor McGonagall on the other side where he had grown so accustomed to seeing Albus. It was a bit of a shock to him, so he could only imagine how the witch was feeling. "I'm sure you will get used to it, Minerva. If it makes you uncomfortable, I would not mind calling you something else?"

"Minerva is fine, Severus. We've known each other too long to mess about with trivial things like professionalism. I remember you're sorting, for Merlin's sake!" Minerva said with a good-natured chuckle at the younger man.

Severus fought to keep the blush from his cheeks and was mostly successful as he sent the witch a mock glare. "Way to make me feel like a child again, _Headmistress_," he jibed with a smirk.

Minerva found the tension leaving her as she laughed again at the Potion Master's dry sense of humour. "I just feel ancient now, actually. To think I would be Headmistress to your children…Merlin have mercy."

"Oh come now, you're still fairly young for a witch, Minerva. I'm sure you'll still be here to see my unborn child go through school as well."

"If I don't end up in St. Mungo's first for losing my mind," the Headmistress joked before finishing off her cup of tea. She had always enjoyed the back and forth conversations with Severus, admiring his sharp tongue and quick wit. The man was very intelligent, and if she was quite honest, held a very dear place in her heart, despite any past wrong-doings on either of their parts.

Severus smirked as his eyes twinkled disturbingly similar to the late Headmaster, who snuffled in his sleep in the portrait behind the Headmistress. "Oh I doubt that, Minerva. Albus was as barmy as they come, and he was never admitted."

They both laughed as the portrait of Albus Dumbledore gave a soft chuckle in his sleep. Severus knew all of the past Headmasters and –mistresses only pretended to sleep, while really listening to every word they said. This was his way of giving Albus a hard time, even after the man had left the realm of the living. He missed the old man dearly.

"Well, I suppose I should get on with why I wanted to speak with you in the first place."

"You mean you didn't just want to hear me call you old and Albus barmy for the hell of it?"

Minerva ignored the interruption with a good-natured glare at the Professor before her. "The Order have expressed concerns about where your family will be staying this summer. Your cottage was unfortunately destroyed, so you cannot return there, and I know you would prefer not to return to Spinner's End unless absolutely necessary. Have you given this any thought, Severus?"

Severus sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had indeed given it thought, if only a fleeting one, and he still didn't know exactly what to do. "I have, Minerva, but I am torn. I know Harry will be loath to stay at Headquarters again, but Spinner's End is simply not large enough to accommodate my growing family. We really have nowhere else to go, besides just staying in the castle, but I am reluctant to even do that."

"I think perhaps it is time Harry came to terms with Black's death and learn that sometimes we must do things we really wish we didn't have to. I will not deny you the ability to stay here at Hogwarts, but I really must insist you move to Headquarters. Please think about it and discuss with your family, particularly Harry. You may also want to consider how Remus will feel being back there."

Severus reeled, quite taken aback. He had almost forgotten the relationship between his husband and the late Animagus; how completely foolish of him. "I hadn't even thought of that, Minerva. This is going to be harder than even I expected. Remus and I have also discussed things with Aurora, and she said she is not remiss to living with us so that we may be able to protect her and the baby and take care of them both during her pregnancy. I went from being a single man to having a family of six in less than a year…I can hardly believe it."

Minerva smiled warmly at the Head of Slytherin, patting his hand gently from across the large desk. The poor man looked stressed to the core, and no wonder; he had much to worry about. "It is quite a drastic change, Severus, but you seem to be handling everything remarkably well. I could never express how much pride and admiration I have for you."

Severus was slightly chagrined, but nodded his thanks to the older woman. "Thank you, Minerva. It has been quite a trying year, and it's not over yet."

S~S~S~S

The Hogwarts leaving feast was a subdued affair that year. The students could all feel the heavy weight of fear and danger settling on their shoulders already. Leaving Hogwarts was leaving safety, and no one knew what to expect next.

Headmistress McGonagall's short speech had reminded all of the students to remember the new friendships they had made and to keep in contact in these dark times. She tried very hard not to look pointedly at the Slytherin table as she warned of efforts to recruit for the Death Eaters, and remembering to stay cautious when out in the open.

Harry was glad to see Remus sitting at the staff table beside his father, with Professor Sinistra on the other side of him. His father had warned him that they would be having an important conversation after the feast, and Harry was almost positive it was going to be about where they were staying for the summer. Just thinking of staying at Grimmauld Place made his stomach twist in knots, and he promptly lost what was left of his measly appetite.

"Harry, you really should be eating more. You're still far too thin, and you'll undoubtedly start Defence training this summer. You need to keep your strength up," Hermione admonished as she watched her friend push his nearly full plate of food away.

Harry sighed and grabbed up a roll, tearing a piece off and sticking it in his mouth to appease the girl. "I'll be fine Hermione. I'm just a little nervous about what my dad's going to talk to me about tonight. I think he's going to tell me that we're staying at Grimmauld Place. I dunno if I could handle that, Hermione, not after everything else this year has thrown at me."

Hermione smiled sadly as she set her fork down and grabbed his hand up in her own. "Oh Harry, I know that house doesn't hold the best of memories for you, but where else is there for you guys to go? I don't think it's avoidable. Besides, staying there will allow you to be close to the Order, which means you'll most likely be more included now."

"I damn well better be. After all, I'm the one who knows what needs to be done in order to get rid of the bastard," Harry snapped irritably. Hermione pulled her hand away and blushed. He smiled apologetically at the girl, knowing he shouldn't be snapping at her when she wasn't the one he was upset with.

"Yeah, mate. I think staying at Grimmauld will be better than not. Where else will you all fit, anyways? Does Snape have a mansion up his sleeve?" Ron asked sardonically as he piled more mashed potatoes onto his plate, much to Hermione's exasperation. It was his third serving already.

"No, he just had his cottage in Devon and the old house he grew up in, which is tiny. I suppose you guys are right; I just really wish I didn't have to go back there so soon after…well, so soon," Harry said, feeling his heart race and his stomach twist. He didn't want to think about Sirius anymore, not right now. He was already stressed out enough as it was.

"Won't Remus be a little uncomfortable there as well? I mean, Black was his lover…" Draco trailed off as Hermione glared at him. Perhaps now wasn't the best of times to bring such things up.

"Oh Merlin, you're right. This is going to be an awful summer, I just _know_ it," Harry groaned, his head falling desolately into his hands. Draco rubbed his back comfortingly and shrugged helplessly when Hermione gave him a pointed look.

S~S~S~S

Harry tried to stall as much as possible as he walked down to the dungeons, Draco beside him. His father had given him a bit of time to spend with his friends before they would leave for the summer, but now it was time for their talk. He wished the time with his friends would have lasted much longer.

"It'll be alright, Harry. No matter what happens, you'll always have people to talk to and rely on. If we do stay at Grimmauld Place, we'll just have to make some new, better memories to replace the old ones, ok?" Draco said with a grin, pulling Harry close for a quick snog before they entered the Potion Master's dungeon quarters.

The Potions Professor was curled up on the sofa with his husband, talking in quiet voices so intently that they didn't notice the two teens enter the room.

"…know it's for the best, Sev, but I can't help but be a little reluctant to go back. You know I love you very much. I'm afraid being there will bring up things that are far too hard to think about just yet."

Severus sighed heavily and leaned forward to kiss the werewolf gently, then more firmly. When his hand started to trail up Remus' shirt, Harry coughed discreetly, blushing to the roots of his hair.

"Harry, we didn't hear you come in. Sit; we've a lot to talk about," Severus said, moving reluctantly away from his lover to face his son and godson, curled up together in a single armchair.

"We're moving into Grimmauld Place, aren't we?" Harry blurted, not wanting to drag this out any longer than it had to be. His suspicions had been confirmed by Remus' earlier words, and he still wasn't very happy with it.

Severus was a little taken aback at Harry intuitiveness, but if the boy wanted to get straight to the heart of the matter, he wouldn't beat around the bush either. "Well, Harry, I wanted to ask your permission. I know it will be very hard for you to be in that house again, but I fear it is unavoidable. We've truly nowhere else to go, save for staying at the castle, but even Hogwarts isn't as safe as Grimmauld Place. The Fidelius charm was passed to me after the Headmaster's passing; I'm now the Secret Keeper for the Order. I will not force you into this, Harry. If you truly cannot handle it, then we will find somewhere else."

After talking to Ron and Hermione about the situation, Harry knew that he would have to swallow his fear and discomfort and move into the dreaded house. "I don't really want to be there. There are too many memories…but I've suppressed it long enough. Sirius is gone; he's not coming back, and if I never face those memories, I'll never heal. I know Grimmauld Place is the best option we have. I don't like it, but I'll do it."

Severus sighed in relief, relaxing into the comforting hand that Remus' was running up and down his back. His husband was a Godsend. "Thank you, Harry. I promise, you'll not be going through it alone."

Harry's eyes met the over-bright, sad gaze of his stepfather and frowned. He hated that the man was obviously as hurt as he was, most likely even more so. "No, I don't suppose I will be," he said quietly, exchanging an understanding look with the werewolf.

"We'll get through this, Harry. We both loved Sirius, and we'll always have our good memories of him. Unfortunately, we'll probably always have the bad as well. Just try not to dwell on such things. If you feel you ever need to talk about it and are uncomfortable sharing it with anyone else, I will always be there to listen. Chances are that I feel some of the same things you do," Remus assured the Gryffindor with a gentle smile. If he was completely honest with himself, despite the progress he had made, he still had much to let go and face before he could truly deem himself healed.

"Professor? What about my father; would he be joining us at Headquarters?" Draco asked, causing them all to jump a little. They had been so caught up in their own thoughts that they forgot the blonde was even in the room.

"I've yet to discuss it with him, but I'm sure he'll agree. He cannot stay in the castle, and though I'd like to trust him completely, I will admit that I don't. I want to keep him close, just in case," Severus admitted with a wary look. So far, Lucius had proved useful and trustworthy, but Severus had dealt with enough betrayal in his life to be wary of falling into a false sense of security around the man.

"What about the Weasleys and Hermione? I think it might help a lot if they were there too," Harry said, his expression hopeful. Neither one of his friends had mentioned joining them, but perhaps they just didn't know yet.

"I've spoken with Molly and she agreed it would probably be best for their family to move back in for the summer as well. Being as close with you as they are, they are most certainly targets themselves. Grimmauld Place will keep them safe. Ms. Granger, however, will need to speak with her parents about joining us. The girl is hardly ever home to begin with; her parents might be a little reluctant to let her go. They're home has been warded to the best of our abilities as well, so they do have some protection," Severus explained to his son, who looked a little worried.

Harry had never really given very much thought to the safety of the Grangers, and now felt extremely foolish for that. Of course the families of his best friends would be in danger; it was no secret Ron and Hermione were his best friends. He felt horrible that he had never considered the Grangers' safety before. It had always been easy to worry for the Weasleys, as he was much closer to them.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, Harry, and you can just stop right now. You've had much bigger things to worry about than the family of a friend. Besides, they were out of sight, out of mind. The Order has always taken everyone's safety into consideration and made sure the Grangers were protected. It is not your problem to worry about, so don't," said Remus, his voice brooking no argument. He gave a warm smile as Harry looked chagrined.

"It's eerie how you always know what I'm thinking, Moony," Harry said with a sheepish grin. He still felt bad that he hadn't thought of the Grangers, but he didn't feel quite as guilty about it. Remus was right; he'd had enough to deal with and honestly never thought about it because he truly didn't know them.

"Call it a father's intuition. Besides, you're much like James in that aspect. He always worried over things he had no control over as well."

There was a long silence in which they all simply got lost in thought. Harry was starting to feel a little apprehensive though, and thought to keep the conversation going.

"So, when are we leaving?" he asked. He thought that perhaps the sooner they moved, the better. He felt like he was sitting idle and needed to keep himself busy, lest he give himself time to actually think too deeply and panic. He no longer had Dumbledore to rely on for answers, and he feared that knowledge would eat him alive if he dwelled on it for long. A little time away from the castle would probably help.

"Soon. There are a few things to sort out before we leave, but I'd say within the next couple of days. You guys should pack now and be ready to move at a moment's notice. I'll speak to Lucius in the morning."

Harry sensed the dismissal, not to mention felt as though his parents wanted a little 'alone time' from their display when they had first walked in. He and Draco made off to Draco's room to spend their own time together, after literally taking an oath to keep their displays of affection to snogging.

"We've never had the talk with them, have we? I think we might have to remedy that," Severus concluded with a heavy sigh. He was not looking forward to that particular conversation, and couldn't help but feel his discomfort with the subject was why he had avoided it so far. He had been sixteen once; he knew all too well how crazy hormones were at that age.

"I really would prefer to think them innocent little angels who never think of such things as sex," Remus said quietly with a reluctant grin.

Severus chuckled and pulled his husband close for a deep kiss. It had been awhile since they had truly any time to spend alone with just the two of them. After Remus' close brush with death, Severus was feeling a pressing need to solidify their relationship, to make sure the man was fully and truly there. "My poor, naïve little werewolf. Think of all the things you did when you were sixteen, then rethink that thought."

Remus visibly paled and groaned against the Potion Master's insistent lips. "Oh dear Merlin. We're definitely too late, then," he said with a mock sorrowful expression.

Severus laughed openly and pushed Remus playfully, initiating a bit of a tussle that neither of them surfaced from for some time.

S~S~S~S

Draco couldn't help but notice that his boyfriend seemed to be tense, no matter what he did to try to help him relax. Just lying together on his bed simply enjoying each other's company, Harry seemed worried and distracted, so much so that when Draco asked him what was wrong, it took a full minute for Harry to realize he had even said anything.

"Sorry Draco; what was that?"

"Merlin Harry, what is with you today? You're as a taught as a bowstring. Relax, love," Draco insisted, running a hand affectionately through the Gryffindor's hair.

Harry sighed heavily and agitatedly swiped Draco's hand away from his hair, sitting up and brushing his fringe back over his scar as usual. "I can't relax, Draco. Dumbledore is dead, and now I have to find the Horcruxes alone. What the hell am I supposed to do? He never told me everything; I still don't know exactly what I'm looking for. Hell, I don't even know if he managed to destroy the one he went after the night he died!"

Draco sat up, realizing that Harry was much more stressed out than he anticipated. He moved over to sit beside the Gryffindor, pulling one of his hands into his lap to lace their fingers together. "Listen to me Harry, and listen good! You are _not_ alone! You don't have to do _any_ of this alone. Isn't that why you told us about the Horcruxes? What have Ron, Hermione and I been doing all year after your meetings with the Headmaster? We've been trying to help you sort these things out! That's not going to stop because Dumbledore is gone. Yes, it might be a lot harder without his help, but that doesn't make it impossible! We will find them, Harry, and you won't ever be alone in doing it."

Harry wiped away the few stray tears that he fallen to his cheeks as he leaned into his boyfriend's embrace. He hadn't realized how upset he'd been until Draco made him bring it to the surface. "I'm sorry, I'm just really stressed out. I never seem to get a break, and I'm tired, Draco. I'm so _fucking_ tired…"

Draco brushed the tears from Harry's cheeks and placed a kiss in the trails left behind. "I know love; I know. We'll get through this, all of us together. Just try to relax while we can, eh? And like Remus said, don't worry yourself over things you can't control."

They returned to their positions lying side by side on Draco's bed, and after a short snogging session, fell asleep in each others arms. A little while later, when Severus and Remus came to check on the two boys, they couldn't help but smile at the way they were wrapped around each other, fully clothed, even down to their very shoes.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about after all, love," Remus whispered to his husband, wrapping his arms tightly around him from behind. The two teens looked so innocently peaceful in sleep; it was hard to think they were nearly adults themselves.

"No, I don't think we do. Come, let them sleep; I trust them," Severus said quietly, pulling his husband from the room by his hand. They would still need to have that dreaded talk with the boys, but until then, Severus was confident they need not worry about it too much.

* * *

**A/N:** As I said, this chapter is much milder and laid-back, but things are soon to get hectic once more! Please review and let me know what you think! Also, I just love all the reviews I get telling me how deviously evil I am for my cliff hangers. I live for those reviews, hehe!


	44. The Talk

**A/N: **Hello again readers! This chapter is actually pretty mild, a bit like the calm before the storm. Things start to get more intense within the next few chapters! We're getting down to the core of the story now! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for reading!

**WARNING:** Lots of awkward moments and a bit of angst.

* * *

**Ch 44.  
The Talk**

A week after the initial conversation, moving day was upon them. Harry still felt uncomfortable moving back to his Godfather's old house, but after all the encouragement from his family and friends, he felt a bit better. The Weasleys would be joining them immediately, and Hermione would be there after spending a week with her parents.

The Grangers had almost refused to let Hermione move in to Grimmauld Place after hearing that the Headmaster of Hogwarts had been brutally murdered. It took a visit from Severus, Remus and Harry to convince the couple that Hermione would be safer at Headquarters than anywhere else, and that she was such a great asset to them, with her extensive knowledge of just about everything.

The Grangers agreed after all of the reassurance, though they asked that Hermione be allowed to come home whenever she wished and come for a visit here and there when she could. They missed their daughter terribly, having to part with her for nine long months of the school year, and now she would be gone for the summer too. Severus promised to look after her and make sure she was kept perfectly safe.

Though Severus had thought that Lucius might not be as easy to convince, the man readily agreed to make the move, especially if he could help the Order by being there. He still had plenty of inside knowledge on the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters; knowledge the Order could most definitely use now that Severus was no longer a spy.

Getting all of their possessions ready for the move seemed to take much more time than they had anticipated. The boys had indeed begun packing the first day they had discussed the move, but their belongings had been so strewn about the castle that their packing had taken a few days alone. Even Severus and Remus seemed to have a harder time packing, now that their singular status had been changed to plural. Packing as a couple was one thing Severus had never anticipated being a challenge. That is, until he and Remus had an argument over whether or not to leave some things behind, or take their entire lives with them.

It was with a sense of relief that they all flooed to Grimmauld Place a week after the official end of the school year. They were greeted by Molly, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George, Bill, and Charlie. Molly had made a huge dinner for the evening and they all sat down to relax and enjoy the meal, not even bothering to claim their rooms and unpack first.

"Now I wasn't sure exactly how the rooming was going to work, so I put Ron and Harry in one room again, Ginny and Hermione together, the twins are sharing, and I gave Bill and Charlie their own rooms, since they _are_ adults now. Tonks is staying as well, and she's agreed to room with Fleur while she visits. Remus and Severus, your room is on the second floor across and down the hall from my own, and Lucius and Draco each have their own rooms across from Harry and Ron's. I think that covers things nicely!" Molly explained, losing most of the dinner table somewhere around the first sentence.

Harry and Draco had shared a look of annoyance at not sharing a room, and Harry noticed Ron's slightly green look when he learned he'd be rooming with Harry again. He wasn't sure why the redhead would feel apprehensive now, but he had a feeling it was something to do with his sexuality and his relationship with Draco.

After dinner as they sat in the drawing room, Harry shared his thoughts with Draco, who became immediately angry. Harry had to stop him from finding Ron and going off on him.

"Wait, Draco, just listen! Maybe we can convince him to switch rooms with you? Your room is right beside Hermione's and Ginny's so that might help convince him. Besides, if he has a problem with me being gay, then I don't think I want to share a room with him after all. I'm sure he'll agree right away."

Draco sighed heavily, trying not to let his irritation show. If it wasn't for Harry's insistence to leave Ron alone, he would have torn the redhead a new one by now. "Well, let's go and find him then. I don't want to sleep alone anymore."

Harry frowned and pulled Draco towards him, kissing him firmly on the lips as he brushed a lock of blonde hair from his silver eyes. "Me neither. My bed has felt so cold since camping on the grounds together."

They found Ron unpacking his things in the room he was sharing with Harry. It was immediately obvious that Ron was annoyed when he slammed the lid of his trunk closed when they asked if they could speak to him.

"We were wondering if you wanted to switch rooms with Draco. His room is right next to the one Hermione and Ginny are sharing, so we thought you might want to be a bit closer to Hermione and all," Harry quickly explained, wary of the dark look spreading across Ron's face.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly why you want us to switch rooms; for _my_ comfort. I'm not stupid, Harry, and I don't appreciate being talked to like I am," Ron snapped, earning a warning glare from Draco.

Harry grabbed Draco's arm to stop him from saying anything, or worse yet, just right out punching Ron in his face. "We're not calling you stupid at all, Ron. Yes, we'd like to share a room. Wouldn't you like to share one with Hermione? It's nothing personal. We just thought it would work best for everyone."

Ron stood up and opened his trunk, shoving all of his possessions back into it with such force that his things were making loud bangs against the wood. He slammed the lid shut once more and lifted the handle, glaring at Harry and Draco as he stood up straight.

"You do whatever you want. Why would I want to share a room with a poof anyways?"

Before Ron could take one step towards the door, Draco had ripped his arm out of Harry's grasp and punched Ron firmly in the mouth. Harry pulled the blonde away, glaring daggers at Ron as the redhead nursed his bleeding and already swollen lip with his thumb.

"Get out, now!" Harry shouted, not trusting himself not to punch Ron again if he didn't leave in that instant. Ron glared at Harry and spit a mouthful of blood onto the carpet before stalking to the door and swinging it open. It slammed with a resounding bang as he left. Harry let Draco go and turned his glare on his boyfriend.

"What the hell, Draco? You didn't need to punch him! He was leaving; there was no need!" Harry hissed, not wanting to attract the attention of any of the adults and explain exactly why Ron was sporting a fat lip now.

Draco rounded on the Gryffindor and poked him viciously in the chest, causing Harry to wince in pain and take a step back. "I was not going to just stand there after he called you that, Harry! I had every right to punch him, and I ought to do it again!"

"No, Draco; just leave him alone! I think he's upset about something else and just used that as an excuse. Give him time to cool off. I'll talk to him about it later."

Draco crossed his arms tightly over his chest and huffed indignantly, deciding it was a lost cause to try to convince his boyfriend that the redhead deserved what he got. "Fine. But I swear to Merlin, if he ever says anything like that to you again, I'll use my wand next time!"

Harry just sighed and shook his head, turning his back on the blonde to begin unpacking his trunk. He couldn't say he wasn't hurt by Ron's outburst, but he had a feeling there was something else, a deeper reason for Ron's anger.

S~S~S~S

At breakfast the next morning, Severus sensed the tension between the three boys immediately. He watched them and noticed that Draco couldn't keep from glaring at a certain redhead. This, along with Molly's fussing over Ron 'running into a wall and busting his lip', prompted Severus to question Harry after breakfast.

"What is going on, Harry? I'm sure the wall Ron ran into was actually Draco's fist, from the way he was glaring at Weasley all morning. Something I should know about?" Severus asked as they sat together in the drawing room. Draco was off taking a shower, and Remus had gone back to bed, his muscles and joints aching due to the approaching full moon. Ron had immediately gone back upstairs, slamming his door for the entire house to hear.

"It's nothing, Dad. Just forget it," Harry said quietly, burying his nose in the Daily Prophet, though he didn't take in a single word of it. He never paid any mind to the rubbish they posted anyways.

Severus set aside his book and leaned forward in his armchair, which was facing the sofa that Harry occupied. He summoned the newspaper away from his son and folded it by his side, demanding the boy's attention. "I'm not stupid, Harry."

The echo of Ron's words the night before caused Harry to scowl, and he realized his mistake too late as his father raised a curious eyebrow. He knew there would be no avoiding the talk now. "Ron and I had a bit of a disagreement last night. Ron got upset and said something he shouldn't have and, well, Draco punched him."

"And what did Weasley say to warrant a fat lip?" Severus asked curiously. Although he knew Ron and Draco would never be the best of friends, he had thought the boys were getting along amazingly well, of course for Harry's sake. He knew whatever the redhead had said must have been pretty bad for Draco to haul off and actually hit him.

"He…er…he called me a poof," Harry mumbled, feeling his face heat up as he uttered the word. He had never felt so uncomfortable with his sexuality before, especially in front of his father, no matter that the Potions Professor shared the same preferences. He had never felt ashamed of being gay before, and it felt terrible.

"He called you a _what_? That nasty little son-of-a – "

"Dad, calm down! I kind of understand where he's coming from. A lot of straight guys get uncomfortable around gay guys. He probably just doesn't know how to deal with it, and used anger instead."

Severus sat there, fuming at the boy who was supposed to be his son's best friend. After all the hell the redhead had put him through during the school year after learning of his close relationship with Severus and his budding friendship with Draco, Severus had no idea how Harry could make excuses and forgive him so easily.

"What prompted this disagreement anyways?" Severus asked, realizing his son had failed to elaborate on that part of the story. He knew he had hit a sore spot when Harry tried to avoid his eyes. "Harry…"

"Well, er…We, uh, Draco and I…Um. Well, we sort of asked Ron to switch rooms with Draco," Harry said in a rush, feeling his cheeks flame as his father frowned at him.

"Harry, now really! Molly put you in separate rooms for a reason. Ron and Hermione surely would not be allowed a room together," Severus admonished. He knew this would happen, and yet he hadn't really done anything to stop it.

"Listen, Dad! It really has absolutely nothing to do with sex!" At his father's disbelieving glare, Harry growled in frustration and banged his fist on the arm of the sofa. "I'm _serious_! When you want to spend time with Moony, is it only because you want to have sex?"

Severus blushed furiously at his son's words, but he thought he knew where this was going. "Of course not, Harry. Sometimes we'd just like to spend time in each other's presence."

"Exactly! Just because we're sixteen and gay, doesn't mean our minds revolve around sex! Hell, we haven't even done it yet!" Harry yelled in frustration blushing to the roots of his hair as Molly entered the room to investigate all of the yelling.

"Oh! Pardon me; I was just wondering what all the fuss was about. I'll just leave you to it!" She bustled from the room in a hurry, the door closing firmly behind her.

Harry buried his face in his hands, mortified that Mrs. Weasley had heard the end of his rant. He met his father's gaze and glared as the man sent him an amused look. "It's not funny," Harry pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Severus smiled at his son in adoration. It was cute, seeing the boy so embarrassed over talking about such things as sex. His amusement was short-lived as he realised that talk he and Remus had been discussing would need to happen very soon indeed, especially now that the boys were sharing a room. And since Severus now knew they hadn't yet crossed that line, it was the perfect time to warn them about the consequences and try to convince them to wait.

"Remus and I had discussed this just before we moved. I guess it is time."

"Time for what?" Harry asked, his heart in his throat. If this was what he thought it was, he was ready to run screaming from the room. He did _not_ want to have this talk. _The_ _Talk_.

"It's time we both sat you and Draco down and discussed some things. You're both at an age now where urges are hard to resist, especially considering all of the stress you've both been and will be under – "

"Oh Merlin, Dad, please stop! We don't need The Talk! Honestly, we're not stupid. Like I said, we've not…you know," Harry mumbled, his face feeling so hot now that he was sure it was about to melt off. He'd never felt so uncomfortable and awkward in his life.

Severus chuckled at the horrified expression on his son's face, relishing the fact that he was doing something all parents eventually did. In an odd way, it made him feel closer to his son. "I don't think you are stupid, but whether you believe you need the talk or not, you're getting it. I'll give you some time to prepare and warn Draco, but there is no avoiding it, Harry, so don't even try."

Harry groaned and buried his face once more. Though he was honestly mortified, he couldn't deny that deep down inside, he actually felt like a normal teenager for once in his life. It felt good.

S~S~S~S

Severus was in quite a mood when he and Remus returned to their room, after suffering through a dinner in which he watched Ron glare at his son and Godson all night. When Remus asked what had him so upset, Severus went on to explain the argument the boys had the night before, and Ron's actions toward Harry ever since.

"The boy has absolutely no respect for anyone, including himself! He has done quite enough to Harry this past year; he does not need more stress on top of it all. Harry was actually ashamed, Remus, ashamed of who he is because of that damned boy's actions!" Severus hissed, pacing back and forth in his and Remus' bedroom. He had made sure Harry was alright after the initial fight, but his anger for the Weasley boy had not subsided at all.

"He is only a boy, Severus; you must understand that he is having a hard time as well. He feels like he has lost his best friend in the thick of it all, now that Harry has us and Draco," Remus explained in a calm, level-headed voice.

"Bollocks! Weasley was of age as of April. I will no longer give him the benefit of the doubt and think of him as a child. He should be mature enough to know when he is out of line! He has abandoned Harry and left him quite upset time and again and I am quite sick of it. I do not want him around Harry any longer."

"Severus, they're best friends – "

"Yes, because you can _clearly_ see the loyalty that Ronald Weasley has for Harry," Severus snapped sarcastically, not really paying attention to his wording as he continued on with his rant. "How far is too far, Remus? How much more should Harry have to take from that despicable fool before you grow tired of seeing our son in such pain from it? My patience has grown too thin already."

Remus smiled lightly, making Severus' brow furrow since the situation did not seem to warrant any kind of smile. "Sorry, this is a little off topic, but that is only the second time you have referred to Harry as 'our son'."

This seemed to calm Severus down considerably as the man stopped pacing and instead sat beside Remus on their bed. There was a trace of a faint smile on his thin lips as well. "Is it really?"

Remus nodded, feeling a tad bit of sadness creeping into his good mood. "Yes, it really is. You always say 'my son', or 'your son', but never 'our'," Remus said quietly, feeling a tight pressure in his chest as he saw the shocked expression on his lover's face.

"I...I never even realized I was doing that. I'm sorry that I've been so inconsiderate. He _is_ our son, Remus; he is every bit your son that he is mine. I guess, perhaps, I was feeling a little possessive. I do not think that Harry realizes, even to this day, how very much it meant to me when he asked me to adopt him. I have been selfish."

"No, not selfish, Severus; just protective, and perhaps a tad bit possessive. I understand, I do, but I am also glad that I've finally been included," Remus admitted, his smile widening as Severus leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

"You forgive me too easily sometimes, you know," the Potions Master whispered against his lover's lips.

"You're always forgiven, Severus. It is getting angry or upset with you to begin with that is the hard part," Remus whispered back, brushing a strand of blackest hair out of Severus' eyes.

"You're a fool, Remus Lupin, and I love you."

Remus chuckled as he accepted and returned the tender kiss Severus pressed against his willing lips, allowing himself to be pushed slowly down onto the bed. He allowed himself to be thoroughly kissed before speaking once more.

"Perhaps we should have Molly talk to Ron. Little as though I want to rat him out, I don't think the boy will want to listen to either of us."

"Speaking of talks, the one we knew we'd need to give the boys soon? It's time. The fight started over Harry and Draco asking Ron to switch rooms with Draco so that they may share instead. Harry did confirm that they've yet to have sex, though," Severus admitted, smirking at the look of relief that crossed his husband's face.

"That will make the talk a little easier then, I suppose. It'll be hard enough as it is, but knowing there's still a chance to try to convince them to wait helps. Was Harry mortified at the very thought?" Remus asked knowingly. He knew he'd been beyond embarrassed when his father had sat him down at sixteen and given him the talk, none the wiser that not only was his son gay, but he'd already_ had_ sex.

"Naturally, but I told him they were getting the talk whether they wanted it or not, and to prepare themselves. I just hope I don't mess this up. I know it's important, but I never imagined I'd be having this talk with a child of my own. For Merlin's sake, I got the talk from Dumbledore rather than my own father!"

Remus winced and shuddered, causing his husband to laugh openly, which made him feel warm and secure. "Now I'm very glad my da' gave me the talk, even though he was about six months too late."

Severus rolled his eyes and slapped Remus very lightly on the cheek, as if reprimanding him. "Tsk, tsk, Remus," he drawled, earning a smirk from the werewolf before being pulled down into a deep kiss that turned into much more.

S~S~S~S

After Harry warned Draco about the upcoming 'talk', both boys had avoided being in a room with both Remus and Severus for longer than a few seconds. After dinner the next night, however, they were cornered.

"Oh please, no," Draco groaned, burying his already flaming face in his hands. Harry nudged him painfully in the ribs, but Draco just ignored him.

"You might as well just get over it, Draco. I'll use sticking charms on your seats if I absolutely must, but I prefer that you stay willingly and actually participate in the discussion," Severus stated. He was a little surprised that it was Draco putting up a fight, not Harry. The way his son had reacted the day before made it seem as though he'd be the more difficult one.

Draco looked up and sent his Godfather a glare, earning a sharper glare in return. "Lucius already gave me this talk; I don't need to hear it again," he claimed desperately. He knew it was a futile attempt, but he'd try anyways.

Severus just glared harder until the blonde teen backed off with a look of embarrassed defeat. "I am aware of Lucius' talk with you, Draco, but that was when he was under the assumption that you were straight and would remain so. There are things you both should know about as a gay couple that Lucius most certainly did not cover."

Both Harry and Draco groaned, their faces practically glowing from the twin blushes on their cheeks. Remus actually thought it was quite endearing and had a hard time concealing his look of amusement.

"We're not stupid; we know that at your age you're already a little _too_ aware of sex and everything it entails, but we want to make sure we set some things straight – no pun intended," Remus added, earning a chuckle from his husband and an exasperated snort from Harry. Draco just groaned and hid his face once more.

"While we won't directly ask the state of your virtue, we'll just assume that it is not altogether intact, being healthy nearly seventeen-year-old boys. The main thing we want to stress is waiting to go all the way. You're both very young and have all the time in the world to experience such things together, but the responsibilities and emotions associated with taking that big step in your relationship are immense. You've both been through a hell of a lot in your lives, granted, but it's important to wait until you're ready to handle such a monumental thing, and also be able to recognize _when_ you're ready."

There was a long silence after the Potions Professor's speech in which both teens waited for the inevitable talk about the details of sex. When it had grown too long, Harry decided to brave a question.

"Aren't you going to tell us about practicing safe sex and all of that rot?" Draco sent the Gryffindor an indignant glare that just made Remus laugh and Severus roll his eyes.

"Well, if you want us to we will, but we're pretty sure we don't need to remind you of things you already know. Besides, as embarrassing as this may be for the two of you, it is not the most comfortable conversation for us either, and the thought of explaining things in detail seems not only unnecessary, but quite embarrassing for us as well," Severus said, feeling his own cheeks heat. He was comfortable with his relationship with Remus, but the idea of expelling things kept private, especially to his son and Godson, was humiliating.

"Er – no, we're good! We don't need details. None at all," Draco was quick to assure the older couple. Remus just grinned as Severus let out a little sigh of relief. He had been dreading that possibility, even though Remus had convinced him they would divulge whatever they had to in order to ensure the boys were informed.

"Are we allowed to ask questions?" Draco asked, shocking both Severus and Remus, and earning a worried look from Harry.

"Well, um, yes I suppose so," Severus answered, fidgeting a little in his seat. He sighed when Remus took his hand under the kitchen table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Harry was desperately trying to see through the side of his boyfriend's head and figure out just what question the Slytherin thought he was going to ask, hoping it had nothing to do with the few experiences they_ had_ shared so far. Before he could kick the teen and get his attention, Draco was asking his question.

"How old were both of you when you lost your virginities? You say it's important to wait, right? Did you guys?"

Harry tried to keep the smirk off his face, wanting to high-five Draco for that table-turning question. Now it was his parents' turn to blush until their faces caught fire. He was slightly disappointed when the Professors only shared a knowing look, then nodded in agreement to some silent communication.

"We were both sixteen, and no it was not to each other. I'm sure you're familiar with the axiom: 'Do as I say, not as I do'? I cannot speak for Severus, but when I made the decision to take that step, I thought it was the right time. And before you ask or get some strange notions running through your heads – no, it wasn't some fairy tale night wrapped in perfection. It was messy, awkward and painful. Neither one of us knew what the hell we were doing, but we were doing it anyways."

Harry smiled sadly, knowing exactly who Remus was referring to. Not knowing how his father would react, Harry didn't bother to mention Sirius at all. He was curious, however, about the Potion Master's experience.

"Dad, did you lose yours to a girl or a boy?" Harry asked, getting used to the fact that the blush on his cheeks would be a permanent fixture during this conversation.

Severus blushed profusely and let out a heavy sigh, gathering his wits. His son was curious, obviously, but he still felt horrified at answering such questions. "My first time was with a girl, Harry. I didn't actually realize I preferred men until Remus and I started seeing each other. I suppose I had an inkling of my true sexuality because of thoughts and urges I had experienced in the past, but I was never sure."

"Who was it?" Draco asked, earning a glare from Harry and an even deeper blush from his Godfather.

"I really don't think that's relevant," Severus said in a strangled voice, ignoring the way Remus was smirking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, come on, Severus. Would it really hurt to tell them? It's not as though it matters, but we agreed to answer their questions," Remus pointed out, hiding the gleeful satisfaction he got out of his husband's glare.

"I do not think it's necessary for either of you to know, or why it holds any importance in your minds, but fine. Draco, you remember your Healer, Abigail Smithson?"

Draco's jaw dropped and Harry burst out laughing. He hadn't expected to know who the girl actually was, but he should have known something was amiss when Remus got that mischievous glint in his amber eyes.

"Abby was my girlfriend through sixth and seventh year. I hadn't seen her since Graduation until your accident. Any other questions?" Severus snapped as Harry continued to giggle beside his boyfriend.

"Hell, why not; what about you, Remus?" Draco asked, abruptly cutting off Harry's laughter and diminishing the smile on the werewolf's face. He immediately regretted the question when Severus sent him an acidic glare. "Er, never mind. You don't have to answer – "

"No, no. I made Severus answer, so it's only fair. Turnabout is fair play, after all. My first time was with Sirius Black. We began dating in our fourth year, and were together a whole two years before we decided to actually have sex. I loved Sirius, and he loved me. We thought that was the only thing we needed to know in order to go all the way, but the truth is, sex brings out deep emotions that are often never felt before.

"The love you two may feel for each other now will pale in comparison after you take your relationship that step further. The bond that is created when you share that part of yourself with someone for the first time is a big responsibility to take on. Just remember that you're both young and have plenty of time to enjoy the little things together before going that far, and you already have so many other responsibilities hanging on your shoulders without adding another one on top of it all. We can't stop you from having sex, but we can encourage you to think seriously about it and to try to wait until you're both ready," Remus said quietly, glad for the supportive hand that gripped his beneath the table. He wasn't sure if he would ever truly get over Sirius completely, but he was glad he had a loving husband who understood and accepted his pain over another man.

After promising the two older men they would definitely consider waiting and make sure they were careful if they ever did decide to have sex, Harry and Draco made their escape quickly. It had been the single most embarrassing conversation of his life, but Harry was glad to have gone through it. He felt like a normal teenager; one who had loving parents who actually cared enough to address such humiliating things.

"That was so…so _awkward!_ I feel unclean now," Draco said with a shudder as they entered their room.

Harry rolled his eyes, coming up behind the blonde and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. "It wasn't that bad, Draco. They're just making sure we stay safe and make good decisions. That's what parents do."

Draco leaned back into his boyfriend's embrace, smiling gently at the secure feeling that enveloped him. This was his favourite place to be; in Harry's arms. "I guess you're right, but still. I mean, how did they know we _haven't_ gone all the way yet?"

"Er…" Harry blushed as he let go of Draco and made his way over to the bed they had been sharing. He hadn't meant to tell his father, it had just slipped out. He wasn't sure how Draco was going to react.

"Harry, please say you didn't tell them what we've done," Draco groaned as he flopped onto the bed beside Harry, his heated cheeks hidden in his hands. This had to have been the most embarrassing day of his entire life, and it apparently wasn't over yet.

"No! No, of course not. I, er…just kind of let slip what we _haven't_ done. Look, you heard what they said. They can't stop us; only encourage us to think carefully. So, technically, they kind of gave us permission."

Draco snorted and finally looked up at Harry, who had a rogue grin on his face that made Draco's heart race. "You fiend! I really doubt they would agree with that statement."

Harry's grin turned into a genuine smile as he leaned over and brushed a lock of white-blonde hair out of the Slytherin's molten-silver eyes. He felt so lucky to be able to be so close to Draco. "I know, I was only joking. Besides, we've already agreed to wait, and I stick by that. I love you, and I want it to be special; perfect."

Draco blushed once more, but this time he didn't mind so much. He leaned over and kissed Harry firmly on the lips, lingering there for a long few seconds. "I love you too, and I still want to wait. But I have a feeling no matter how long we wait, it'll never be perfect."

"You know what I mean, though. I want it to mean something. Every time it happens, you give a little piece of yourself away. I only want to give myself to you," Harry said quietly, feeling extremely exposed. He wanted Draco to see all of him, though; he wouldn't hold back in front of the person he loved.

Draco grinned and kissed Harry gently on the cheek, brushing a lock of ebony hair out of the Gryffindor's eyes. He felt so lucky to be with someone so compassionate and pure. "You're such a sap, love," Draco drawled, chuckling as Harry glared at him half-heartedly before kissing him once more.

S~S~S~S

Molly was in a right mood. Not only had she argued for nearly two hours with Charlie about going back to Romania for an important meeting, she'd had to convince Bill not to take a job in Egypt, even though she knew her sons was itching to get back to their lives. It wasn't fair that her family was being forced to give up the things they loved, but they all had sacrifices to make if they wanted to win this war. Merlin knew all she wanted was to curl up in a warm bed and just cry for days for the loss of her husband, but she would not allow herself to. There would be time to mourn later, as no doubt there'd be even more to mourn after the war was won – or lost.

However, when Remus and Severus came to her and told her about what her youngest son had said and done, it was the last straw for Molly.

Ron knew he was in more trouble than ever before when his mother calmly asked him to speak with her privately in the kitchen. When his mother was angry, she screamed and yelled and shouted and ranted a raved. She was never calm, she was never this silent and her eyes had never looked so cold. Ron actually shivered in fear.

"How _dare _you, Ronald?" Molly asked barely above a whisper. She had never felt so ashamed of one of her children before, and Merlin knew her children had done some crazy things in their lives. She missed Arthur terribly.

Ron tried to swallow around the lump in his throat, but it was proving difficult. He felt a cold wave of utter disappointment from his mother, and had to look away from her accusing eyes. No one could make him feel shame like his mother could, and it was tearing him up inside. He hadn't the faintest idea what to say. "Mum…"

"No – _you _listen to _me_, Ronald Weasley. I am disgusted by the way you have treated someone who has been your best friend since you were eleven, and I'm not only talking about what happened earlier. I'm talking about the entire school year. I warned you in the very beginning after you and Ginny started in on Harry about his relationships with Severus and Draco, but you didn't listen to a word I said. It is not your place to judge Harry's idea of family. He has never once judged our family, so how can you judge his?

"Your father and I raised you better than this, Ron! Your taunting about Harry's sexuality is no better than those who spout of about pure-blood supremacy. In the end, it is all just ignorant prejudice. You are not a stupid boy, but your actions of this past year have displayed that you can be an utter fool. What would your father say?"

Those last words finally broke through Ron's rapidly deteriorating control, and he broke down in sobs. He cried for a god five minutes before he realized his mother had moved from sitting across the table from him, to sitting right beside him with her arms wrapped securely around him. He hugged his mother tightly and began to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I've been so horrible, Mum. I just miss having Harry to myself. He was my best friend, and now I feel like I've been replaced. I just want things to go back to the way they were."

"Oh, Ronnie, you know that's not going to happen. Harry is still your best friend; he just has other people in his life now that take up more of his attention that you were used to having on you. He hasn't replaced you at all. You've essentially replaced yourself by displaying to Harry that you don't accept who he is now. If you want Harry to treat you as his best friend once more, then you have to start _acting_ like one," Molly said firmly, pulling away to look into her son's icy blue eyes that were shot red from crying. She loved her children, and she wished she could prevent all of them from ever feeling any pain, but she knew that wasn't realistic. She just had to do the best she could to help them pick up the pieces and put them back together when they fell apart.

Molly pulled out a handkerchief and started drying Ron's tears before handing it to him to blow his nose. "Now, first things first: you need to apologize to Harry for the way you've been treating him and his family. Then, you must apologize to Draco for the comments you've made about him, and lastly, you need to apologize to Remus and Severus. Your remarks about Harry's sexuality did not just affect him, you know; Harry is the son of gay parents, and they felt the pain of that remark too. After you've done all that, you can start to redeem yourself. I know you're a good person, Ron; all of you kids were raised with open minds and hearts. I know you can make me proud again, and your father too. He's still with us, love, every day."

Ron hugged his mother close, resting his head on her sturdy shoulder with a heavy sigh. He felt so young and vulnerable, and he was glad to have his mum there, though he felt a terrible pang of sadness that his father was not there with him as well. "I will, Mum. I'll make you proud again. Thank you."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh look, no evil cliff hanger! See, I can be nice sometimes. Don't get used to it hehe. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and as always, thanks for reading! The next chapter should be up fairly soon. I'm currently working on chapter 48, so I have quite a few racked up. Yay!


	45. Order in Grimmauld Place

**A/N: **Hello readers! I'm going to stop pretending I know how many chapters remain of this story, as every time I try to guess, I'm dreadfully wrong. I'll say more than five, but less than twenty, how's that? This one is a pretty informative chapter, so pay close attention! I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

**Ch 45.  
Order in Grimmauld Place**

Hermione arrived after the first week of the summer holidays, bringing with her a ton of books and at least twenty pages of notes on possible locations for Horcruxes. Harry felt bad that Hermione had been working so hard during the week she was supposed to be spending with her parents while he hadn't really thought of Horcruxes at all. He'd had such a hectic week already, and it wasn't over yet.

There was a big dinner the night Hermione arrived, as Aurora had come to join them at Headquarters as well. Having no family of her own, Remus and Severus had invited her to stay with them in order to protect her and the baby. She had gladly accepted and was now staying in a room down the hall from Remus' and Severus' own. Everyone had cheered loudly when she announced her due date was roughly in the middle of March the following year.

"Perhaps I'll receive another son or a daughter for my birthday!" Remus exclaimed happily, sharing a toast with the rest of the table. They all continued to eat and chat loudly through pudding, but the table went unnaturally quiet as Ron stood shakily from his seat and called everyone's attention t himself.

"I'd like to first congratulate Professor Snape and Professor Lupin; you're already great parents, and your second child will be lucky to have you. Secondly…I'd like to apologize, to everyone. I've been acting horribly towards all of my friends and even my family, and I had absolutely no right to treat the people I love the way I have been. To tell the truth, I was jealous – jealous that Harry had finally found a family for himself, and his attention was not solely focussed on me and my family, for once. I was an idiot, and I said horrible things that I wish I could take back."

Ron turned towards Harry, who was sitting at the other end of the table, on the side across from Ron. "I'm sorry, Harry. I can't promise I'll never be an idiot again, but I can promise to try at least. You're my best mate, and if these people are who you choose as your family, then I support you and your family."

Harry was stunned, his jaw hanging open as tears welled in his eyes. When Draco nudged him in the side, Harry finally snapped out of his shocked stupor and stood up. He moved around the table towards Ron, and pulled his tall and lanky friend into a tight hug. "Thank you, Ron. I forgive you."

After everyone settled down, Severus stood up to make his own announcement. "It is time we get back to the task at hand. We have a war going on, and we cannot afford to waste any time. Therefore, tomorrow night will be our first Order meeting since the Headmaster's passing. We cannot let his efforts go to waste. I trust all of the members present remember who their contact is? Good; set the network in motion now so that everyone may have time to prepare."

Harry shared a look with his friends and knew they all were thinking the same thing; it was time they were included in the Order once and for all, and this time they wouldn't take no for an answer, no matter how much the adults protested against their involvement.

S~S~S~S

Upon hearing that the Order was going to start up their summer meetings again, Harry, Draco, Ginny, Hermione and a reluctant Ron approached Severus and Remus after dinner. Of course, Hermione was chosen as their spokesperson, and she fidgeted nervously in her seat in the drawing room.

"We already know what this is about, and frankly, we don't really have any answers for you. The Order is a bit up in arms right now. Without Professor Dumbledore as our go-to man, we're a little lost. We need to get our heads together and figure things out quickly, however. That's what this first meeting is going to be about; revamping the Order.

"I know you lot want to be involved, and now that at least a few of you are of age or will be very soon, we may allow you in. Ron and Ginny, you'll need permission from your mother, of course, and since Lucius doesn't technically have custody of you Draco, you'll get permission from Severus; same for you, Harry. Hermione, you're of age so it's completely up to you."

Severus leaned forward once Remus had had his say and fixed all of the teens with a serious look. "I have always disagreed with Dumbledore's policy of keeping you all in the dark, especially Harry. Black's death might have been avoided had you all been included and informed, and though Albus never seemed to learn from his mistakes, the rest of us have. Harry and Draco will be of age within the next two months; that's good enough for me. Unfortunately, as Remus said, I have no authority over the rest of you, although I will support you in gaining permission to join."

"However, this is not a school club or fun project. As members of the Order, you will have to take Oaths and Vows that could affect your very lives. It is not a commitment to be taken lightly. I know all of you are already doing your part for the war effort, things the Order doesn't even know about, and will not know about. Most of you will not be asked to go on missions for the Order because of your age; you'll simply be included in the meetings, planning, and kept well informed on all we know."

There was an excitement in the air as the teens all shared grins of triumph. Finally, they were going to be taken seriously! Harry leaned forward, gaining his fathers' attentions.

"So, this first meeting is going to be about restructuring the Order? We want to help! Just tell us what we need to do," Harry said vehemently. He had tried so hard before to be included, to be told everything, and now that he was finally be allowed in, he wanted to do as much as he could.

"Well, I'm sure there will be things to help with, but in a way, you lot have your own section of the Order that no one else knows about. Remember that you already have a task to complete, Harry, an important one at that. Focus on that as much as you can and the rest of the Order will take care of everything else," Severus assured his son with a pointed look. He had been as vague as possible, knowing that Ginny hadn't been informed about the Horcruxes.

S~S~S~S

With Severus' encouragement, Ginny and Ron went to speak to their mother about joining the Order. The fight that occurred was heard by the entire house-hold, and Charlie had to step in as a mediator. Molly very reluctantly gave Ron permission after Charlie pointed out to her that he was of age and technically an adult now, but she had absolutely refused to allow Ginny to join the Order. Charlie tried to convince her to change her mind, but she wouldn't budge. Ginny's screams echoed through the house until she ran up to the room she shared with Hermione and slammed the door.

With only Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron left in the drawing room, a discussion on Horcruxes started once more. Draco was the first to volunteer any thoughts on the matter.

"Ok, so we've established that Voldemort has split his soul into at least six pieces – "

"Seven. Seven pieces. There's still the piece that resides in Voldemort himself," Harry pointed out to Draco, who nodded in acceptance.

"Alright, seven pieces. We know that two, maybe three have been destroyed already. The ring, the diary, and whatever it was that Dumbledore went to destroy the night he…_that_ night," Draco said, sending an apologetic look to Harry, who shrugged with a sad smile.

"Harry, did Dumbledore tell you which Horcrux he was going after, or where it was? We have to find out for sure if he destroyed it or not. If we operate on the assumption that Professor Dumbledore destroyed it and he didn't, we could end up in serious trouble. They _all_ need to be destroyed in order to kill Voldemort; there's no other way," said Hermione, her notes spread out on the coffee table in front of her. There was a detailed diagram and Harry leaned over to look at it curiously.

"No, he didn't. He absolutely refused to tell me anything, and I have no idea which one it could have been. Hermione, what's this?" Harry asked as he picked up the diagram and read through it. In one column was a list of objects already known to be Horcruxes, and in another, there was another list of possible Horcruxes. Beside these lists were possible locations. Harry was shocked.

"Well, based on the information we already know, the Horcruxes that we know Voldemort has made and where he hid them, I came up with other possible Horcruxes and where they could be. Dumbledore said that Voldemort was fond of keeping mementos from the things he did, like the toys he stole from the other children at the orphanage. From the memories Dumbledore showed you, I think it's safe to say that the ruby stolen from the sword of Gryffindor is a Horcrux. Now, where it might be, I'm not sure. We need to think of significant things he's done, people he's killed. Whose death did he use for the ruby?"

The teens were all lost in thought for a while, trying to come up with more ideas. It seemed near impossible, trying to figure out what these things could be and where they could be. Harry was surprised Hermione had come up with as much as she had. Sure she was a genius, but this was far beyond any Charms test or difficult potion to brew.

"Well, the most obvious ones I think are Harry's parents. But would he have had time to make Horcruxes? The curse backfired on him when he tried to kill Harry, but did he make Horcruxes from James and Lily?" Draco asked, gently grasping Harry's hand as the Gryffindor paled slightly.

"He might have. He could have at least made one from my mother's death, but I'm not sure about my father. Every time the Dementors come near me, I hear that scene play over and over again, and as far as I can tell, there was very little pause between his killing curse on my dad, and the killing curse on my mum. After her death and before his failed attempt on me, however; who knows?" Harry explained, feeling his stomach twist just thinking about his mother's pleading cries to spare his life, to take her instead.

Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look and pat his knee before jotting down the idea on her diagram. "Then I think we'll need to make a trip to Godric's Hollow. If he did make a Horcrux out of Lily's death, he'll most likely have left it there, hidden somewhere. It would be symbolic to him, I'm sure."

"What's this, Hermione?" Ron asked as he pointed to a column in the diagram labelled 'Wool's Orphanage – blanket(?)'

"In the memory Dumbledore showed Harry about Voldemort collecting mementos, Harry offhandedly mentioned something about a baby blanket that Tom was extremely protective of."

"The blanket with his initials stitched into it. He freaked out and scratched another boy all up for trying to take it from him. It was really important to him, I guess. You think he made that into a Horcrux?" Harry asked, wondering why he had never made that connection. He was damn lucky to have Hermione helping him.

"I think it's quite possible. The orphanage was where he grew up, which is definitely significant, and he had a special connection to that blanket. Doesn't it make sense for him to hide one there, be it the blanket or something else?" Hermione said, sounding far too logical. Her intelligence never ceased to amaze the three boys in the room.

"But whose death did he use for the blanket, or whatever it is possibly hidden at the orphanage?" Draco asked, looking towards Harry like he'd have all the answers.

Harry sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples. Who indeed? Who was significant enough for Voldemort to kill and split his soul for? Everything was starting to jumble together in his head, causing a headache to form and making it very difficult to think clearly.

"Harry! The ruby, it has to be at Borgin and Burkes! Dumbledore said that Voldemort went to work there after asking for the Defence position, and shortly after that, he disappeared for years, right? Why would he disappear like that? He had to have been using that time to make his other Horcruxes!"

"But whose death – ?" Ron began to ask, but Hermione cut him off, that same excited gleam in her eyes when she was on a roll taking over once more.

"Draco, you've been in there quite a bit, haven't you? Where is Burke? Borgin still works there, but Burke is gone; what happened to him?" Hermione asked quickly, writing furiously on the parchment before her.

"I – I'm not sure. Yes, I've been there, but it's only ever been Borgin in there when I went. As far as I know, Burke is dead and has been for a while, but I can't confirm that."

"I can."

Everyone whipped around in their seats as the smooth voice spoke from the doorway of the drawing room. Lucius was standing there, leaning against the doorframe drinking from a tumbler which appeared to be half-full of firewhiskey. His absurd snake-headed cane was held loosely in his grasp as he twirled it in lazy circles.

"Hermione! I thought you said you put wards around the door!" Harry whisper furiously. He wasn't sure how much Lucius had heard, but he did know he was nervous thinking that Lucius could know what they were talking about.

"Oh she did, Potter. It took me a good fifteen minutes to dismantle them. Very impressive, Granger. I came looking for Draco, but I believe you were in the middle of a conversation? About Burke; the man went missing some time in the forties, I believe, or so Borgin's father claimed. The current owner is Borgin the founder's son, not the original Borgin himself."

"Hermione, do you know when Voldemort attended Hogwarts? If we know what year Voldemort graduated, we may be able to determine if Burke's disappearance coincided with Voldemort's disappearance after working there. He still worked there when Voldemort did, because he's the one who hired Tom," Harry said, his heart racing. Things were finally starting to fall into place, and they were that much closer to finding another Horcrux.

"I'm not positive, Harry, but I think I can find out. The library here, it has copies of the old Prophets, I believe. We should be able to find out what we need from there."

"Then let's go!" Ron said as he jumped up enthusiastically from his seat. He ignored the badly disguised sneer from Lucius. He found it much easier to ignore the man's presence in general.

"Forgive me, for I am curious; why do you need to know these things?" Lucius asked smoothly. He indeed sounded very curious, and for some reason Harry felt he could trust the man enough to tell him. After their talk not long ago, Harry thought he understood the man far better than even his own son did.

"Do you know what a Horcrux is, sir?"

Lucius' smirk slid slowly off his face as his cane twirled right out of his hand and hit the floor with a loud, metallic clang. He looked lost in thought for a minute before meeting Harry's eyes. "Dear Merlin, don't tell me…Oh Salazar! The diary, the one I gave Ms. Weasley…"

Ron's face transformed in anger as he glared at the older man. "Yeah, you bloody bastard! You gave my little sister a piece of Voldemort's bloody soul, you creep!"

"Ron!" Hermione admonished as Harry took hold of Draco's arm to prevent him from pulling his wand.

"Mr. Weasley, you have to believe me; I had no idea what that diary could do or would do. I was not thinking straight when I gave it to your sister. When I heard from Draco what had happened, I was completely horrified. I had wanted to rid myself of all things concerning the Dark Lord after his downfall. I don't know what possessed me to hand it off to an innocent child, and I promise that I would _never_ have done such a thing had I known it was a Horcrux," Lucius explained quietly, allowing his mask to slip so that the young man would see his genuine remorse over the situation.

"I don't trust you," Ron ground out, shaking with the effort of keeping his emotions in check. As it was, Hermione was holding tightly to his arm to prevent him from doing anything stupid.

"And I do not blame you for that, Mr. Weasley, but I would do anything to prove to you that I am trustworthy now. In fact, where is Ms. Weasley?"

"You stay the hell away from her, you hear me?" Ron shouted, taking a step closer to the man who had put his little sister through hell when she was still so very young.

"Ron, what's going on?"

Everyone turned towards the door once again as Ginny walked in, apparently over her fit of being excluded from the Order. She looked confused and slightly scared at the anger on Ron's face and the way he was standing far too close to Mr. Malfoy.

"Ms. Weasley, may I say something before your brother breaks free of his girlfriend and murders me?" Lucius asked in a calm and collected voice.

Ginny looked back and forth between her brother and the elder Malfoy, wondering what the hell was going on. After a minute, she nodded her head slowly, noticing that her brother went pale at her nod.

"I am more sorry than you will ever know about giving you that diary before your first year. As I've just told your brother, I had no idea it was capable of such a thing, and only just realized its true nature a few minutes ago. If I had any idea what it would have done to you back then, I would never have done such a foolish thing. I know you may not be able to ever forgive me, but I am truly sorry for everything you went through."

Ginny's honey brown eyes were swimming in tears, and Ron finally yanked his arm out of Hermione's grasp so that he could rush to her side and pull her into a hug. He shot Lucius a glare over the top of his little sister's head, but was surprised when Ginny pulled out of his arms and looked towards Lucius as well.

"Thank you for apologizing. I…I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you, but I believe you. I'm sorry, I…" Ginny left then, wiping at her eyes as she made her quick exit. Ron stood in the very same spot, staring dumbly after his sister.

"Do I at least have part of your trust now, Mr. Weasley?" Lucius asked the dumbstruck young man.

Ron continued to glare, but after about a minute, he gave a jerky nod and resumed his spot standing beside Hermione, who was gathering up all of her papers with the intention of moving to the library to do some research.

"Are you coming, Harry?" Hermione asked as she took Ron's hand and began to lead him out of the room. He was still too shocked to move on his own.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes, alright?"

Once Hermione and Ron had left the room, Harry turned back to Draco, who still looking ready to punch something. Harry gently brushed a few locks of platinum blonde hair out of the Slytherin's eyes to get his attention. "Draco, calm down."

"How do you put up with him, Harry? His mood swings are ridiculous! First he's apologizing to you for being such a prat, and then he turns around and continues to do it!"

"Draco, I don't really think his anger was an overreaction. You didn't see Ginny after everything happened. It was horrible – "

"I did," Draco whispered, looking anywhere but at his father, who was still standing in the room. He had never told anyone this before, and was sure Ginny didn't even know herself.

Harry's brow scrunched in confusion as Draco fidgeted before him. "You did? When did you see her? I was pretty sure no one was there after Fawkes pulled us out, though I did black out soon after."

Draco shook his head and led Harry over to the sofa, pulling him down to sit beside him. "I went to the hospital wing the day after it happened. I had heard the rumours but I didn't really believe them…not until I saw her. She was asleep, but I sat there with her for something like half an hour and apologized."

Harry was completely shocked. That year, Draco had gone around the school spouting off about Mudbloods and was such an evil shite, he, Ron and Hermione had been convinced he was the one behind the attacks. The Draco he knew now he could see apologizing to Ginny, but the Draco of the past?

"Why? Why would you apologize? I mean, it wasn't your fault, it was your father's," Harry pointed out, ignoring the man he had just referred to completely. He was still uncomfortable talking about the things the man had done in the past.

Draco finally looked up and over at his father, who had a stoic expression on his face. His eyes, however, told of his true emotions. "Somebody had to apologize, Harry. You almost died that night too."

"But I was willing to die if it saved Ginny," Harry said, remembering exactly how calm he felt in that minute after he was bitten by the basilisk and thought he was going to die. Then Fawkes healed him and everything was ok, but for that short time, he had accepted his fate.

"Mr. Potter, you were only twelve and you were prepared to die?" Lucius asked, despite his decision to stay out of the conversation. He couldn't fathom a twelve year old being able to accept his own death.

Harry looked up at the elder Malfoy with a twisted grin that was both pleasant and unpleasant. "I had already faced death twice before that, sir. What was one more time to save a friend in need?"

There was a long silence as both Draco and Lucius stared at Harry. They realized for the first time just how much Harry had sacrificed and would continue to sacrifice to keep his friends and family safe. It was both sobering and extremely worrying.

"You are a very unique young man, Harry," Lucius said quietly before giving a short bow and exiting the room.

"Come on, let's go help Hermione," Harry insisted, pulling Draco into a quick kiss before they left the drawing room and headed to the large library on the next floor.

S~S~S~S

The next evening, the house was full of tension and apprehension. The Order members were due to arrive shortly, and Professor McGonagall, Severus, Remus and Lucius were all discussing how the Order should be organized. They needed a new leader, and though she did not think she fit the role, Minerva took it as offered.

"I will only be the leader in name, however. I am not Albus; I do not know how he managed to pull all of the strings that he did, so I am going to need help. Personally, I think we should split the Order up into separate groups based on the services we need," Minerva said as she sipped her cup of tea at the head of the long kitchen table in the basement.

"I think perhaps that might be a good idea. I never did like the way Dumbledore would just randomly assign people or spring missions on us unexpectedly and then expect us to follow through no matter what. It wasn't fair," said Remus, sharing a look with his husband as Severus gently squeezed his hand under the table. The mission Remus had gone on during the school year had been completely ludicrous, and he was not willing to continue on that same path for the Order.

"We'll have to get everyone's input on the matter, of course, but I think the Order would be much better organized if people were assigned a set task. Now, what will we need?" Minerva asked as a couple of Order members began to trickle into the kitchen and take seats around the table.

Once everyone was there, including the newest and youngest members, a full-blown discussion on sectioning off the Order was underway. It seemed to be supported all around, but many had questions and Minerva was struggling the answer them all.

"What if we're assigned to a group but we have skills that would be useful to another group? Don't you think this will only limit our abilities?"

Severus watched as Minerva tried to come up with a response and decided it was time to help the poor woman out. He never knew how Dumbledore managed to remain so calm as the head of these meetings. "Just because you are assigned to one section of the Order, does not mean you are forbidden from helping another section, or even switching completely. In fact, I believe it would be simpler if the members were all allowed to move within the groups as needed. The only thing we'd need for each group is a permanent figure-head, someone who took lead of each group and kept track of everything appropriately."

"How would meetings work, then? If all of the groups will be working on separate things, then a large group meeting doesn't really seem feasible anymore," the Minister of Magic, Kingsley, pointed out.

"What about creating a new schedule where each group meets individually to work on their tasks, whatever they may be, and then at the end of the week, a full Order meeting takes place so that each group can report their progress and bring up any comments or concerns?" Hermione suggested, receiving quite a few impressed looks and many murmurs of agreement.

"I think that is a wonderful idea, Ms. Granger. Now do you all see the benefit of allowing these young adults to join?" Minerva asked with a pointed look at the few members who had raised concerns about letting the students join the Order.

"Now the only thing left is to decide how to split the Order up. What do we need, exactly?" Remus said, looking up from the parchment he had been taking notes on. He smiled over at Hermione, who was doing the same thing.

"Research. We need to make sure we always stay one step ahead of You-Know-Who, and that means making sure we know our stuff better than he does," Tonks suggested from her seat beside Charlie.

There were no protests to the suggestion, so Minerva gave a short nod. "Alright, we have one group then. And head of the Research group?"

Remus would have laughed if the situation wasn't as serious. It seemed every member at the table turned and looked at him, including his own husband. "I think I've just been volunteered," Remus said with a smile, earning a few chuckles from the other members.

"We need to keep up our patrols! Even if Potter here is safe within this house, there are other places, other people who still need to be carefully watched. Constant vigilance!" Mad-Eye Moody growled from the other end of the table, opposite Professor McGonagall.

"Alastor, would you like to organize this group?" Minerva asked, knowing the man wouldn't likely take orders from anyone else. He'd had a hard time following Dumbledore's orders.

"I'd be honoured, Headmistress," Mad-Eye said with a cheeky grin.

"Might I suggest another possible group, Headmistress?" Lucius asked from his seat on the other side of Severus. He was still receiving some mistrusting looks from a few members, but he ignored them. He knew the people that mattered trusted him. He received a nod from the older woman and leaned forward.

"I am aware the Order no longer has a spy inside the Dark Lord's ranks. While it is not feasible for myself or Severus to resume a role as spy because the Dark Lord knows we are traitors, there are other ways of gaining information. We might not be able to spy, but there are other Death Eaters or those associated with who can be persuaded to part with information, should we need it. Also, I'm sure it is well known that I have quite a network of contacts I can utilize within the Ministry and elsewhere."

"Well, Lucius, you and Severus would be the only ones with that much inside information. What about co-heading the group?"

"I will help Lucius with the spying group should he need it, but I had another group in mind, Headmistress," the Potions Master said. "I would like to head a group on Defensive and Offensive training. Not everyone here has gone through Auror training; there are those who are ill-equipped to fight, and that is the most dangerous thing Albus always seemed to overlook."

There were many nods and comments of agreement from all around the table, especially from the few Aurors there. Minerva nodded her assent and Remus wrote it down in his notes.

Tonks leaned forward in her seat, gaining everyone's attention as she knocked over her teacup and spilled tea across the table. She blushed and cleaned it up with her wand before composing herself once more. "One thing Dumbledore had us all try to do was recruit members. It's important to find the people who want to help and get them involved, that way we have more support, and they have protection."

"I think we should also keep track of who is in the Order, and make sure the same Vows and Oaths are taken by new members. It is important to make sure we have no traitors in our midst. We can't afford another Peter Pettigrew." Molly's words were met with dark whispers and angry looks, though it was anger at the rat spy and not Molly herself.

Minerva firmly agreed with that group in particular and made sure Remus added it to the list he was compiling. "Tonks, Molly – why don't we combine both of those and you can co-head it. Tonks, you can deal with recruitment, and Molly, you can help keep track of all of our members."

There was a loud bang as the kitchen door flew open, startling everyone at the table. A few members, including Severus, Harry, Kingsley and Charlie had pulled their wands and stood to aim at the door. They all settled down as Hagrid blushed and very gently closed the door once more.

"Sorry 'bout tha'. Don't know me own strength!"

"Ah, you're just in time, Hagrid. Please, sit down," Minerva said as she conjured an extra large, extra strong chair for the half giant just beside her. "We're discussing breaking the Order up into separate groups so that we may all get things done more quickly and efficiently, and I was just about to suggest an inter-bestiary cooperation group. Surely you'd be the person to handle such a thing."

Hagrid looked shocked to be appointed the head of anything and gave a hearty nod as the Headmistress smiled at him. "O' course, Headmistress! I'd be righ' glad ter oversee tha' sort o' thing!"

"Professor, what about international cooperation? The war might be here in the U.K. but there are definitely people around the world being affected by You-Know-Who. Bill and I know quite a few ourselves, seeing as we lived elsewhere for many years," Charlie pointed out, his older brother nodding in agreement beside him.

"You and Bill definitely have the upper-hand there, so you can both head that group. Any other suggestions?" the Headmistress asked, looking around the table. She wasn't exactly surprised when Percy, one of their new members, raised his hand with his chin raised.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"What about cooperation with the Ministry? Sure we have the Minister and a few Aurors, but there are other important people in the Ministry we could use on our side. Though Mr. Malfoy may have his contacts, I have my own, and they're _legal_," Percy added, earning a glare from Draco, who was sitting directly across from him.

"You do have a point, after all…Well, I suppose we can have an Inter-Ministry workings group. After all, there are quite a few of you who work for the Ministry, and we can use that leverage, should we ever need it. Percy, it's all yours." Minerva tried very hard not to laugh at the look of self-importance on her former-student's face.

Just as she was about to wrap up the meeting, Harry spoke up, but he wasn't volunteering himself. "Fred, George – your products have gotten me out of sticky situations quite a few times, and you said you were working with the Ministry on some new combat products, right? Well, the Order could use your genius as well."

"We might can do that, Harry," said Fred.

"We'd love to spread discord," quipped George.

"He means harmony,"

"Especially throughout the Order!"

"Count us in!" the twins answered together with identical grins of mischief.

Everyone laughed at the Weasley twins' antics, and it felt like the perfect ending for their first summer meeting, but it wasn't over yet. Ron cleared his throat from the other side of Hermione, having been so quiet the entire time, people forgot he was there.

"What about the other students, Professor? The few of us here might be safe, but there are plenty of other Hogwarts students out there in danger, like sitting ducks. Shouldn't they have the opportunity to be kept safe as well?" asked Ron, earning shocked looks from quite a few people around the table. He blushed profusely as Hermione gave him a particularly passionate look that he hoped his mother hadn't seen.

"Weasley is right, but there's also another group to think about. There are, despite what people might think, Slytherin students who aren't aspiring Death Eaters, even if their parents are loyal to the Dark Lord. I think they should be offered some sort of safe-haven, should they need it," Draco added from his place beside Harry.

"You are both very right, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. I wish there was more I could do directly for my students, but the only thing I can do is open up Hogwarts as a sort of half-way house to those who need it and provide them as much protection as Hogwarts can offer," Minerva said with a worried glance at the few of her students seated at the table now. There were so many out there in danger, and she wished she could protect them all.

"I think that is a great idea, Minerva. If we do things carefully, we might be able to set up some sort of network for those students who may need our help, so that when the time comes, we can bring them to Hogwarts and keep them safe. A Youth Protection Programme is a great idea," Madam Pomfrey said from her seat near the opposite end of the table from the Headmistress.

There were many Order members in attendance who were content to sit back and let the rest suss things out, it seemed, but that was why they were doing this, to gain order and organization.

"I agree, Poppy. Then it is settled. Is everyone satisfied with the current groups? Now, I think those members wanting to join certain groups should find the heads and let them know. Heads, it is up to you now to schedule your individual meetings and organize what your group will be doing specifically."

For the next half hour, Order members shuffled from group to group, offering their services and finding out when the different groups would meet. It was overall a very productive meeting, but Harry was glad when it ended so they could get back to the library. Hermione had been very close to finding the correct dates, and it was making Harry anxious, being so close to finding a Horcrux.

"These archives go back to the eighteen hundreds, and Mr. Malfoy said that Burke went missing in the forties. We might be able to find an article on his disappearance along with the dates Voldemort went to Hogwarts. You and Draco can go through this stack," Hermione hefted a huge stack of aged _Prophets_ down in front of Harry, then lifted another one in front of Ron, "and we can go through this one. We're looking for a paper published in mid-thirties to late-forties."

Harry and Draco split their stack in half and started shuffling through all of them, first looking at the dates and setting aside all of the ones that were too early or too late. It took nearly fifteen minutes just to reach the papers in the right decades. As Harry was reading an article about Flourish and Blotts having a sale on parchment journals and diaries, Harry gasped.

"Hermione! I'm such an idiot! In second year, when I was writing in Tom's diary, he showed me the memory of the Chamber being opened fifties years in the past."

"Of course! So, Tom Riddle had to have graduated in 1944 or 1945 – "

"I found it! _'Caractacus Burke of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley has been reported missing by his business partner, Barnabus Borgin. Borgin said the man had failed to show up for his shift three days in a row, and when he called upon the man's house, it was deserted. If any information is known, Mr. Borgin asks that the proper authorities be informed.'_ This is an article from August of 1945," Ron said, looking quite smug that he had been the one to find the article they'd all been searching for.

"It fits, it all fits! The ruby has to be at Borgin and Burkes, and I'm positive Voldemort killed Burke to make it into a Horcrux. We need to go there," Harry said, looking as if he was ready to get up and leave for Knockturn Alley right then and there.

"Harry, there's no guarantee the ruby will be there. Are you sure you want to risk it?" Hermione asked as she gathered her notes and the _Prophet_ Ron had found together.

"Hermione, we have to at least check. If it's not at Borgin and Burkes then it could be at Hogwarts like you said before, but we need to be sure!"

"Ok, ok. But you're not tearing off by yourself, it's too dangerous. We need to tell your parents and get the Order involved. Last time you stepped foot in Diagon Alley, there was an attack," Hermione pointed out unnecessarily.

"You don't need to remind me, Hermione, I remember just fine," Harry said with a deep frown as he looked over at Draco, who just kissed him firmly on the lips.

"I would do it all over again, Harry, so stop looking at me that way. Come on, let's find Sev and Moony," said Draco, pulling Harry up by the hand.

"You know Dad would probably kill you if he heard you walking around referring to him as 'Sev' all the time. He only let's Moony do that, and even that's a rare occurrence."

"I've called him Sev since I was little, Harry. I don't think he cares, really. Now quit staling and let's go."

Harry and Draco left the library leaving Hermione with her research and Ron looking a little lost. There was a long silence as Hermione created a new diagram of Horcruxes and Ron stared off into space, until he broke the silence.

"They're so…normal and comfortable together. I mean, I think they're more comfortable with each other than we are."

Hermione looked up from her diagram, a little shocked by Ron's observation. She of course had already known that, but she was surprised Ron was finally starting to see it. "That's because they are, Ron. They have a very deep understanding of each other. Not all couples are lucky enough to experience that."

"Well, I'd like to understand you better, but I don't think anyone in the world is capable of that, Hermione. You're like an Arithmancy problem, and Merlin knows I can't understand a word of that stuff."

Hermione frowned as she turned back to her diagram and continued to write. Perhaps Ron had a point, but it seemed as though he didn't really try very hard. She loved him, but she wished he made more of an effort in the relationship.

"You can't understand something until you try to figure it out, Ron. It's called logic," Hermione retorted, still not looking back up at her boyfriend. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand underneath her chin, urging her to look up.

"Well it's a good thing you've been helping me understand complicated things for years, then," Ron said with a gentle smile which grew wider as Hermione blushed. He leaned in and kissed her soft lips firmly but lovingly and knew from the look in her eyes as they pulled away that things would be ok.

S~S~S~S

Harry paused at the closed door to the bedroom his parents shared, hesitating for only a second before Draco's nod encouraged him to knock. There was not a long wait before Severus answered the door wearing a pair of sleep pants and a dressing gown that hung open, exposing his bare chest.

"Harry? Is everything alright?"

"Er, sort of. Can we talk to you and Moony for a second?" Harry asked, still a little nervous about everything they had figured out that night. For once, Harry wished that Hermione could have been the one to explain it all.

Severus pulled the door all the way open and gestured for his son and godson to enter the spacious room. "Of course. Remus is in the shower, but I'll let him know you're here."

Harry watched the Potions Master enter the bathroom across from the large four-poster bed in the centre of the room, a cloud of steam escaping before he closed the door all the way behind him.

"How very domestic," Draco drawled with a smirk. He had taken one of the overstuffed armchairs close to the merrily cracking fire in the hearth, his arms thrown lazily behind his head and his feet crossed propped up on an ottoman.

It reminded Harry strongly of his second year, when he and Ron had taken Polyjuice and interrogated Draco about the Heir of Slytherin as Crabbe and Goyle. He noticed these little nuances of Draco's old personality slipping in here and there, and it actually comforted Harry. There was no doubt that Draco had his entire memory back, and there was no reason to ever worry about losing the Draco he had fallen in love with.

They waited almost five minutes before Severus and Remus emerged from the bathroom, Remus clothed in a dressing gown and sleep pants much like his husband. His hair was still wet, which made it look darker, in turn making the man look slightly younger.

"Harry, is everything ok?" Remus asked immediately upon seeing his son.

Harry smiled and pushed Draco's feet off the ottoman so he could sit down, ignoring the glare he received from his boyfriend. His parents sat down together on the bed across from them, looking slightly concerned if still curious.

"We may have located another Horcrux. We're not one hundred percent positive, but I have a very strong suspicion, and we need to find out if it's really there or not so we know to keep looking elsewhere," Harry explained, trying not to let the worried look his parents shared annoy him. He knew it was their job to worry.

"Which one is it, Harry?" Severus asked anxiously. He knew this was coming, but after only a week of the summer holidays, he felt rushed; he thought they'd have more time to prepare.

"The ruby from the Sword of Gryffindor. I'm almost positive it's somewhere at Borgin and Burkes. The problem is that we're not sure where in the store, or what form it may be in now. I doubt it's still just a lone ruby. It was probably inlaid in some piece of jewellery years ago, but I'll know it when I see it, or _feel_ it, rather," Harry said in a sardonic tone. He could still remember the way the ring had exuded such evil and blackness, so thick it seemed to fill his lungs until he couldn't breathe. His scar twinging also helped to notify him.

"We need to carefully think this all out. We don't want what happened last time you stepped foot in Diagon Alley to happen again. We can't let the Death Eaters hear of any plans to go there, and we need to be better prepared. If we didn't depend on you so much to identify the Horcrux, I'd ban you both from going," Severus said, his sharp glance at Harry making him feel all the guilt and shame of getting Draco hurt once more.

"Trust me, Dad; I don't want anything like that to happen again either, to anyone. But there's no way in Merlin's name I'm not going. We'll get the Order involved and do everything we can to make things different this time, but we need help. I would insist on just going by myself, but I know no one would let me, so I'm actually asking for help this time instead of just going for it. Isn't that what you've been telling me to do all year?" Harry asked, not quite as successful with keeping the bitterness out of his tone as he hoped to be.

Severus leaned forward, his frown making Harry feel guilty for the way he had spoken to his father. "Yes, Harry, it is. I'm glad you're taking my advice. I just want to make sure we have all of our bases covered before pulling anything."

"I understand that, Dad, but I feel like we're running out of time. I need to get this done. Dumbledore is dead; no one else is going to die for me. I need help with the Horcruxes, yes, but after that, it's my battle."

Severus sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the impending headache. Sometimes he wondered why he was insane enough to choose to be a father to a rash Gryffindor, but then he reminded himself how much he loved his son, and dealt with the frustration that went with the job. "We will discuss _that_ later, but I stand by what I said. We cannot rush into things. I know how much you want this all to end Harry, for people to stop being hurt and killed, but if you push yourself too far, you'll be the one who ends up failing. There is still time if you allow yourself to believe there is time."

"I'm trying, but it's getting harder and harder to do that," Harry said his tone desperate. He sighed as Draco wrapped his arms around him from behind, soaking up the warmth his lover offered.

"I know, son, I know."

* * *

**A/N:** Not quite a cliff hanger, but still a bit vague as to where this is going to go next! I should have another update fairly soon. I have chapter 48 nearly complete, and with summer semester of college starting soon, my writing time will be cut down a bit, but I have a few chapters in reserve for you lot! Thanks again to every single person who reads this, whether they review or not. You guys make it worth it! I'd also like to apologize for not personally responding to all reviews. To be quite honest, I'm so busy I hardly have time, and I usually check the emails of reviews from my phone while on the run. Just know I appreciate every word of every review I get!


	46. The Griffin's Eye

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait, readers! I'm a month into the summer semester of college, and boy am I busy! I'll try to be better with updates, but no guarantees! Things are moving along, plot wise, however slowly. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter…as I hide behind my school books to avoid your reactions =).

* * *

**Ch 46.  
The Griffin's Eye**

An emergency Order meeting was called the next night. Members from the Defence and Training and Patrol groups of the Order came up with a plan and were coached by Moody and Tonks. They set up four separate guards; two for the opposite ends of the Alley, a patrol group to blend in with the crowd in Diagon Alley, and a group to blend in with the crowd in Knockturn Alley.

Remus would accompany Harry into Borgin and Burkes, both polyjuiced into nondescript muggles, just to make sure Borgin didn't recognize the disguises. Ron, Hermione, Severus and Lucius would be using Notice-Me-Not charms and repelling charms to help keep other shoppers from entering Borgin and Burkes.

They would all be going early in the morning to avoid the bigger shopping rushes; first to make sure they could get in and out and on their way, and second the make sure there weren't as many innocent victims if things turned ugly.

Harry was nervous but very determined. His main concern was that he didn't know exactly what he was looking for. He was depending heavily on his ability to sense the darkness of the Horcrux to help locate it, but he feared if he took too long, Borgin would get suspicious. Remus would be there to help distract Borgin from Harry's searching, but Harry was so used to everything going wrong, he couldn't help but doubt that things wouldn't go as planned.

The morning of the mission was very tense, everyone completely silent at breakfast. Molly had of course argued about the younger members going along, including Harry, but she eventually conceded after Harry explained to her in private how his connection to Voldemort was needed to identify and locate the thing they were looking for. He never mentioned what the item actually was. The less people that knew about the Horcruxes, the better. The other members had been told that Harry was looking for something imperative to the war effort and nothing more. No one questioned it, and Harry was glad he had so many people willing to help.

Harry pulled Draco aside after breakfast and led him into the drawing room while all of the members who were part of the mission began to arrive for their final orders. Everyone would leave at different times and enter Diagon Alley in shifts so that there was not a huge influx of shoppers, drawing attention to the Order members.

"Nervous?" Draco asked as he rubbed Harry's arms, feeling his own heart flutter with nerves. He had wanted to go into the shop with Harry as well, but they had all agreed a group of three people would just be too suspicious. As it was, Harry and Remus were going to enter Borgin and Burkes at separate times so that it looked as though they weren't associated at all. Draco didn't like it, but he accepted it.

"Of course, but I'm ready. We need to find these things, Draco, before it's too late. Voldemort has been too quiet lately, and that makes me more nervous than anything. What I'm most worried about is everyone else. I was ready to agree with Molly and insist that you, Ron and Hermione stayed here. I'm terrified something is going to happen to one of you. Remus and I will be under Polyjuice, but the rest of you are just using Notice-Me-Not charms. It doesn't feel like enough. But I'm so scared what happened to you last time will happen again – "

"Harry, we're more prepared this time. All you need to worry about is finding the Horcrux and getting out of there as fast as you can. Let the rest of us worry about everything else; that's what we're going to be there for," Draco assured the Gryffindor. He could feel his boyfriend's hands shaking as he clasped them in his own. Draco pulled Harry forward and gave him a long, passion-filled kiss, trying to erase all of his worry with his love.

Harry lost himself in the kiss, feeling some of the tension leave his body as he wrapped his arms around Draco's neck, shivering as Draco's fingers ghosted under his shirt and tickled his sides. He smiled at the blonde after the kiss was broken, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around his lover. "Thank you, I needed that. But I want to make a request. You can say no, but it would help relieve some of my worry if you would agree to it."

Draco thought he knew what was coming, but he decided to humour his boyfriend. "What is it, love?"

"Wear my Invisibility Cloak. I don't want to take any chances of a Death Eater or sympathizer recognizing you and aiming for you just because of who you are. I would make both of our fathers wear one too if I had more than one and they would agree to it, but I know they won't. With you hidden, that's one less thing I have to stress about. Please, Draco?"

Draco sighed heavily, wanting to give in to his lover's wishes, but also feeling guilty. He would have an advantage the other members of the Order didn't and he felt like it wasn't fair to everyone else. However, if Harry was asking him, there was no way he could tell the Gryffindor no, knowing it would increase his anxiety if he refused.

"The cloak didn't stop me from being hit last time, you know. But…I'll do it. You have to promise me you'll be careful, Harry; no heroics, ok? Just find the Horcrux and get the hell out of there, alright?"

Harry beamed before giving Draco a hard, quick kiss. He gave the Slytherin a sharp look as he pulled away from the blonde. "The same goes for you, Draco Abraxas Malfoy. Under no circumstances are you to jump in front of a spell for someone! I don't care if it's for _me_. _No one_."

Draco rolled his eyes but nodded his agreement, pulling Harry into another, longer kiss. He felt like this was the last time he'd kiss Harry for years, and it terrified him. He held tightly to the ebony-haired teen, planting light kisses all over his face and neck. "You better come out of this alive, or I'll kill you."

Harry burst out into laughter, some more of his nerves leaving him as he doubled over, causing Draco to pick up his infectious laughter. They crumpled onto the sofa together, giggling uncontrollably, with kisses interspersed. This was how Severus and Remus found them ten minutes later.

"I don't want to interrupt this," Severus whispered to his husband as they watched the young couple chuckling on the sofa, wrapped firmly around each other. "I don't want to take those smiles away."

Remus wrapped his arms around the Potions Master from behind, burying his face into the man's neck, placing a gentle kiss there. "Everything will be alright, love. Have faith. We're very prepared – almost _too_ prepared, really. Harry will know what to look for once he's there, I have no doubt. He's strong, Severus; both of them are. Just like their fathers," Remus murmured into the man's ear, glad to hear a soft chuckle from him.

"Do you know how much I love you, Remus?"

Remus gently turned Severus to face him and kissed him deeply, brushing his hand across his lover's cheek with such tenderness, they both were almost moved to tears. He looked into Severus' deep blue eyes and smiled. "Just as much as I love you."

Severus kissed his lover once more, lingering against his lips before turning towards his son and Godson with a heavy heart and anxious sigh.

"Harry, Draco; it's time."

S~S~S~S

Harry and Remus apparated from the square outside of Number twelve Grimmauld Place to the alley outside of the Leaky Cauldron, already disguised by polyjuice. Remus went into the pub first, followed a minute or two after by Harry. They both returned the friendly wave from Tom, the barkeep, and went to the back door to the entrance of Diagon Alley.

The other members of the Order were already in position, having left in shifts two hours previously. They received the signal from Severus that everyone was in place a scant five minutes ago, and were walking through the barrier a brief time later.

Harry's heart was in his throat. He made sure not to stand too close to Remus or make it appear as if they knew each other at all. Harry paused at a window for a second before moving on, trying to make himself look like a natural curious shopper.

As they neared the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Remus made a point of pulling up the hood of his cloak and ducking in, which was common behaviour for patrons of the darker part of Diagon Alley. Harry waited as long as it took to recite the alphabet before following Remus into the Alley.

It was dark and stank of stale alcohol and putrid sewage. Very few individuals were making their way down the narrow alley, all but one of them with their hoods pulled fully up to cover their faces. It was too early in the morning for a large crowd, and although his friends and father were concealed by Notice-Me-Not charms, Harry fancied that he could _feel_ their presence. He hoped he was the only one.

It was entirely too cold for an early July morning, and Harry was positive it had something to do with the alley itself. Just as he turned the corner towards Borgin and Burkes, Harry paused and pretended to check his pockets for something, giving Remus time to enter the shop and begin to catch Borgin's interest before entering himself.

As he stepped up to the grimy door of the dark shop, Harry could have sworn he felt something brush up against his arm. After a moment of panic, Harry relaxed as he remembered that Draco had his cloak. He took a deep breath and readied himself, clearing his mind as much as he could so he'd be able to sense the Horcrux more easily. With one last look towards the area he thought Draco was in, Harry reached for the snake-shaped handle and entered Borgin and Burkes.

If possible, it was even darker in the shop than it had been in the alley. He gave himself a moment to adjust to the darkness, then moved towards the back of the shop. He saw Remus studying a collection of cursed jewellery at the front, earning most of Borgin's attention. The greasy looking man only spared a glance for Harry before turning back to Remus. So far, so good.

Harry's hands were beginning to shake as he scanned the shelves. He wished he could light his wand, but thought that might be too much. He took another deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping he'd be able to sense something, some clue as to where the Horcrux might be. He knew he couldn't stand in one place for too long, so he opened his eyes and began scanning shelves once more.

Cursed music boxes, hexed potions bottles, vials of various poisons, something that looked frighteningly like the skull of a werewolf, a long staff with a brilliant white opal at the tip, a couple of blood stained books, a silver dagger with a curved blade, and something that looked like a floating foetus in a jar of green goo which made Harry's stomach turn, and these were all on one shelf.

This was going to take hours unless he received more of a clue as to what he was looking for. What would Voldemort do with a single ruby? Setting it in a ring or necklace seemed too obvious, and being anywhere near a blade of any kind was definitely out. Harry wracked his brain for any ideas, feeling the anxiety heighten with his heart rate.

The ruby was part of the sword of Gryffindor. The representative of Gryffindor was a lion. Voldemort had chosen the ruby because it was a part of Hogwarts history, and taking a ruby from something of Godric Gryffindor's and tainting it with the blackness of his soul seemed like the perfect insult from a Slytherin.

Harry began searching for anything that had a lion on it, around it, or as part of it. Most the creatures he had seen adorning anything in the shop were snakes of some sort, of course. He'd even seen a centaur and a griffin –

Harry stopped in his tracks as he turned back towards the shelf holding the griffin statuette that he had seen from across the next aisle. Perhaps Voldemort would think a lion too obvious, but a _griffin_ was far enough removed that no one would suspect.

As Harry drew closer to the small statuette, he finally felt what he had been waiting for. A kind of thick, oily feeling permeated the air around the griffin, clearly much darker than any other item in the shop. As he stood right in front of the statuette, Harry had to bite his lip and stifle his gasp as his scar gave a painful twinge and continued to burn. There was no doubt; this was it.

Harry squinted, not daring to touch the thing just yet, and felt his heart trip at what were clearly two halves of one medium sized ruby implanted in the face of the griffin as eyes. Harry had his wand up his sleeve and let it slide down into his hand, still concealed by his cloak. He glanced up and saw that Borgin was talking to Remus about what appeared to be a pair of rusted shackles against the far wall, furthest away from Harry. Both of their backs were towards him.

"_Horribilus Revealio_!" Harry whispered, jabbing his wand at the griffin statuette. There was a red glow around it, which Harry assumed was the part of Voldemort's soul. He felt sick as his scar gave a sharp stab of pain. He performed a Finite, disarming any protective spells around it and reached out. He had worn three pairs of Dragon-hide gloves that had been infused with the hair of a unicorn's mane, and charmed to resist any hexes or curses.

Taking a deep breath, Harry lightly placed his hand on the statuette. Before he could pick it up, there was a loud crash and what sounded like distant screams. His head snapped up and he met Remus' terrified eyes as Borgin headed towards the door of the shop.

"Merlin's balls, what the bloody hell is goin' on out there?"

Harry took his chance while Borgin was peering out the door. He grabbed the statuette, his heart nearly jumping out of his throat, and trust it into a pocket Hermione had charmed into the inside of his cloak to expand to any size and feel weightless, just in case the Horcrux had been much larger. He signalled to Remus that he was done, and he waited a minute or two after Remus brushed past Borgin to exit the shop himself.

Harry froze as he saw many more people in black cloaks then there had been before. His heart nearly exploded when he saw white masks. He drew his wand as he saw flashes of light from the other end of the alley, ready to join the fight, but he was pulled into an alcove before he could take a single step.

"Go back to headquarters and alert any members there that there's been an attack and we may need more back up. _Do not_ come back, Harry! Go – _now!_" Remus whispered harshly as he pulled his own wand and made to step away.

"Moony! Be careful," Harry said, giving Remus a tight hug before watching him walk away. He was torn, but he knew if he stayed, everyone would want a piece of his hide for not following orders, and he needed to get the Horcrux some place safe. Sending his hopeful thoughts out to every member of the Order involved, Harry turned on the spot and apparated to the square outside of Grimmauld Place.

S~S~S~S

There were too many of them. Even with close to seventy-five Order members present, there were at least a hundred Death Eaters, and they were intent on the most destruction possible. Severus had assigned Hermione, Ron and Draco to go about and try to stop the fires that had started to consume some of the buildings. This way they helped cap the damage and stayed out of the main fight. Severus had no idea if Harry had been successful in finding the Horcrux yet, and he and Lucius were making it a point to block the entrance of Knockturn Alley to give him more time.

Having to drop the Notice-Me-Not charms in order to defend themselves, both Severus and Lucius were being targeted like crazy. Their status as traitors had not earned them any fans, and they were having a hell of a time. Tonks, Bill and the Weasley twins were trying to help take on some of the Death Eaters intent on revenge, but they were overwhelmed.

Severus turned as he heard running footsteps behind him and felt his heart flip as he recognized the muggle visage Remus was hiding behind. Harry was not with him.

"Phoenix?" Severus asked, using Harry's codename so as not to give him away to anyone who was listening too closely.

"He's got it. I sent him home for help," Remus answered quickly as he countered a curse shot at Severus, hitting the Death Eater with both the man's own curse and one of his own. Before Severus could respond, there was a terrifying female scream from the building two doors down; Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It sounded like Hermione.

Severus ducked what was probably ten spells, dived behind a few other Order members, and dashed to the ice cream shop. He saw not Hermione, but another familiar face, cowering in fear as a Death Eater leaned over her, a wand pressed to her throat.

"I have no idea where Harry is, I swear! Please, _please_ let me go! _Please!_" Lavender Brown sobbed, curling in on herself as the Death Eater snarled and pressed his wand sharply into her pale throat.

"Lies! Tell me, or I'll decorate this alley with your innards!"

Lavender began to sob in earnest, throwing her arms over her head in a futile attempt to protect herself. As Severus aimed his wand at the man he recognized as Macnair, he cursed silently as another familiar face streaked out of the ice cream parlour and threw himself in front of the terrified girl, blocking his shot at Macnair, lest he hit the boy as well.

"Leave her alone you filthy bastard!" Michael Corner yelled, knocking Macnair's wand away from Lavender, his head held high and his own wand pointed at the Death Eater. Before either Michael or Severus could act, Macnair slashed his wand in the air, a sickly purple light striking the boy in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, his eyes wide and empty. Lavender shrieked and cried even harder.

"_No!_ Michael! Please let me go, I'm sorry! I don't know where he is!"

Severus took his chance as Macnair threw his head back in laughter at the terrified girl before him.

"Incarcerous!"

Macnair ducked just in time, and the strong ropes hit the wall with a dull thud before falling just beside the trembling teen, who shrieked as the ropes nearly hit her as well. Severus ducked as Macnair turned and started throwing spells. He was already exhausted from trying to keep the other Death Eaters at bay near Knockturn Alley, and his reaction time was starting to slip.

Severus heard a yell from the direction of Knockturn, and quickly turned to make sure Remus had not been hit before turning back towards the Death Eater. He left himself exposed to Macnair for a split second, and that was all it took.

White hot knives were carving into his flesh, his robes a tattered mess as blood sprayed and gushed from countless wounds across his entire body. It was as if he had been sliced with a thousand sharp swords. Severus knew this spell – knew it _very_ well. He had created it.

The last thing the Potions Master saw before he lost consciousness was the blonde hair of a sixteen-year-old girl, sprayed with his own blood, her terrified eyes wide in death, and all he could think of was how he could have saved her.

S~S~S~S

Remus was trying as best he could to get to Lucius, who had been taken down by an unknown spell. He hoped the man was merely injured and not dead. One of the Weasley twins was trying to block the man's body from anymore harm, and Remus was thankful for the help. He looked around wildly as he had a slight break from the battle, looking everywhere for Severus. He took a chance and stepped out from the alley into the main fight.

Remus heard a girl scream, and then there were the unmistakable tones of his husband's voice, casting spells. He turned towards the voice and just as he was attempting to help the man, Severus turned around for some reason, and then there was blood. So much blood, everywhere, and Remus' heart stopped.

He ran, but everything seemed to be in slow motion. Watching Severus fall, Mad-Eye Moody cursing Macnair, Ron and Draco running by with Hermione held between them, Tonks' bloody nose and determined expression. Everything fell away as he dropped to his knees beside his lover, who was white as a sheet and oozing so much blood, Remus was sure there couldn't be any left within the man.

There was an upsurge of noise as dozens of pops broke out into the alley, first with the arrival of back-up from the Order and Ministry, then the departing of Death Eaters who knew it was time to retreat as they became out-numbered. Remus ignored it all as he lifted his husband into his arms and apparated to Grimmauld Place.

S~S~S~S

"I don't think I can apparate just yet, and I don't want to splinch her! Can you handle taking both of us Side-Along?" Ron asked desperately as he and Draco ran behind a large display, Hermione's unconscious form held between them. She had been hit with a curse Ron didn't recognize and he couldn't recall the wording because he hadn't heard properly. He was beyond terrified.

"Yes, but you're going to have to bear most of Hermione's weight so I can concentrate. Are you ready?"

With a nod from the redhead, Draco took a deep breath, grabbing hold of one of Ron's arms, his other hand gripping Hermione's shoulder. He turned on the spot, and they were sucked into the tight ring of apparition. The landing was rough, as he'd never Side-Alonged with more than one person before.

Just as they were lifting Hermione to take her into the house, Remus apparated just in front of them, holding a body so covered in blood, they had no idea who it even was, but they had an idea.

Grimmauld Place was in chaos as injured Order member and Aurors, conscious and unconscious, covered every surface. Ron and Draco quickly placed Hermione in the drawing room where it looked like a team of Healers from St. Mungo's was checking the injured. Ron stayed to explain while Draco ran to Remus' side.

"Remus! Is that – ?"

"Help! He's dying!" Remus shouted. Three Healers ran up and started to remove Severus' torn robes and clothing. The wounds were gaping slashes all across his body, bone and organs visible in some place. Draco wretched as Harry tore into the room, and promptly began screaming at the sight of his father.

"_Dad!_ No, please save him! _PLEASE!_"

Remus was shaking so bad his legs couldn't support his weight anymore, and he fell to his knees beside the make-shift cot his husband's body was on. He allowed himself to be laid down, by who he was not sure, and fed a potion which made his fogged mind begin to clear. As he fully became aware of his surroundings, he sat up.

"He was hit with Sectumsempra! It's a spell of his own creation; I don't know the counter-curse."

Draco had made his way over to Harry, who had fallen to the floor beside Severus' cot, tears streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed over and over again to save his Dad, he couldn't lose anyone else, it was all his fault.

"Harry, it's not your fault, shh…" Draco whispered as he gathered the Gryffindor into his arms. He felt useless as Harry ignored his admonishment and kept sobbing nonsense to no one in particular.

Draco looked up as he heard someone say his surname and caught sight of Tonks and Charlie Weasley carrying in what was unmistakably his father's body. He felt his heart jump into his throat. He was torn; should he stay with Harry, or go to his own father? He was about to direct Harry to Remus when Tonks made her way over to Draco, looking completely worn out and more serious than he had ever seen her before.

"He'll be fine. He was hit with a blood-boiling curse, but he'll live," Tonks assured Draco, who couldn't really find it within himself to be relieved, not when Harry was sobbing in his arms over his own father.

The room was a mass of confusion, grunts of pain and the sounds of sobbing, mostly from Harry and Remus. Draco had silent tears running down his face as he supported Harry's weight in his arms, watching numbly as the injured were healed and put to sleep to help them recover more quickly. This was what war looked like.

"These aren't just normal wounds; they're cursed to stay open and unhealed. We need to take him to St. Mungo's. He's lost too much blood; we need to get more Blood Replenisher, stat!"

The Healers began to prepare Severus to go through the floo, casting a protective bubble around the cot as they levitated it. Remus stood and began to follow, turning around as Harry struggled to stand and follow as well.

"No! It's too dangerous for you to be outside of these walls. Someone is not to be trusted; someone let slip that we were going to be in Diagon Alley today. Stay here, Harry."

"Remus, please! I want to be with him," Harry begged through his tears, struggling against Draco's grasp on his arms. He wanted to make sure his father lived, why wouldn't Remus just let him?

"I'm sorry, Harry, but no. I'll make sure you get updates on his condition, I promise. Draco, keep him here." Remus turned and left through the floo, through which the Healers had already taken Severus.

"Fuck this!" Harry screamed and tore himself out of Draco's grasp. The blonde was afraid Harry was going to dive into the floo after his parents, but he instead ran up the stairs, presumably to their room. He followed, making sure Harry wasn't attempting to use a different hearth through which to travel to St. Mungo's.

Draco found Harry curled up on their bed, shaking with sobs as he clutched desperately at a pillow. The blonde climbed onto the bed and pulled Harry into his arms, smoothing down his ruffled hair and whispering that things would be ok, that he'd see his father soon. But he didn't know that. He couldn't be sure anything would be ok, and with a sharp pang in his heart, he strongly doubted Harry would ever see Severus alive again.

S~S~S~S

Remus was completely exhausted. The Healers had tried everything they could to close Severus' wounds, including Muggle techniques, but the curse simply reversed all of their efforts, and some of them had a further negative effect on the Potions Master. They were administering a steady stream of blood replenisher and cleaned the wounds every hour to keep infection away, but there was nothing else they could do.

Remus was so _angry_ with his husband. That he would create such a horrible spell to begin with, but then somehow let it leak to the Death Eaters, whether intentional or on accident, made Remus' blood boil. It was so ironic that the man lay dying because of his own damn spell! He was such a _fool!_

The ward was unnervingly silent, and the only lights were the glowing orbs that collected along the ceiling, casting an eerie shadow across the room. Remus was sitting in a straight backed chair beside his husband, who had been placed in a medical coma in order to help control the pain and hopefully cause him to heal faster.

Severus was so pale, his breathing was so shallow. Remus hated it, because it looked too much like he had completely lost the man he loved. There would be scars for certain once the wounds were healed, and Remus couldn't help but find it slightly ironic that his lover would soon have scars to rival his own. There was even one long gash across his cheek that matched one of Remus' scars.

He wanted to hold Severus' hand, to touch his face and hair, but he couldn't get within a foot of the man because a protective barrier had been put up in order to keep any contamination out of the festering wounds. As it was, only a small scrap of material covered the man's privates, as they couldn't risk covering him with sheets or blankets, lest they irritate the wounds. They simply cast a warming charm within the protective bubble around him to keep him warm.

Remus thought of ways to cover the man magically for when he would undoubtedly bring Harry to see his father. One, he didn't think Severus would want his son to see him nearly naked, and two, he didn't want Harry to have to see the wounds and be reminded all over again.

Remus jumped violently as a hand descended on his shoulder, but he relaxed as he turned to see Healer Smithson standing beside him. When Severus had first been brought in, Remus requested that Abigail Smithson be the one to treat his husband, as she already knew much of his history, medical and personal. The Healer had done marvellously well with hiding her shock and grief at seeing her one time lover sliced open and close to death, but now that the shock had worn down, she was deeply saddened to see her fellow Prefect of the past sitting vigil beside the bed when there was nothing anyone could do.

"You should probably go home and get some rest, Remus. You might want to check on your son as well; he's probably not doing much better than yourself at the moment," Abigail suggested as she ran a diagnostic spell over the comatose man before her and increased the heating charm to a more comfortable level.

Remus felt a pang of guilt as he remembered his promise to keep Harry informed. He had been so worried about Severus and lost in his own grief that he had allowed himself to forget about his son. Taking a deep breath to pull himself together, Remus stood and nodded his consent.

"You're right. Please let me know if anything changes. I'll be back sometime in the morning."

As Remus reached the door to the ward, he turned and caught the Healer watching him and gave a strained smile. "Thank you, Abby." He took her gentle smile and nod with him as he left St. Mungo's and headed home, worried about what shape he would find Harry in.

S~S~S~S

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table in the basement, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea as Draco rubbed his back and murmured to him that he was sure Remus would be back soon to tell Harry how Severus was doing, despite it already being nearly midnight.

The battle had gone on from nine in the morning, an hour after they had set out to find the Horcrux, until eleven. Harry and Draco had dropped into a fitful sleep for nearly five hours before Molly woke them and encouraged them to eat, though all they did was both pick at their food.

Harry felt like he was in a fog, like he was only going through the motions of being alive, when everything within him screamed that _he_ should be the one dying in St. Mungo's, _he_ should be paying the price for leading the Order and his friends and family into danger. He had asked multiple times if anyone had died, but no one was giving him a straight answer, which only confirmed to him that a few people had indeed met their end that day. He felt numb. This was all his fault.

The squeaking of the basement door opening caused Harry to jump so bad, he spilled his tea everywhere. He jumped from his chair as he saw a very tired and depressed Remus walk in, and launched himself into his step-father's arms.

"Moony!"

Remus wrapped his arms tightly around his son, holding him close as they both began to cry once more. He was so tired of crying, but he knew there would be no end to it until Severus was safe and home beside him.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I was so caught up in making sure that Severus was taken care of that I forgot I had promised to keep you informed."

"It's alright, I understand. How is he?" Harry asked as Remus led him back to the table and took a seat beside his son. He was glad when Draco stood and prepared them both a fresh cup of tea and remembered that the young Slytherin was probably as worried as he and Harry were; Severus _was_ his Godfather, after all.

Remus took a sip of his tea and a deep breath before he could explain to Harry. "I'm not going to lie to you Harry, because you deserve to know the truth. He's…not well. The curse he was hit by is causing the wounds to resist any efforts of healing; they've tried everything. The Healers put him into a medically induced coma to give his body time to rest to deal with the wounds. The research department at St. Mungo's are looking up possible counter-curses and healing spells, and I plan to do the same."

Harry was shaking, not at all comforted by what Remus had said. In fact, it only confirmed his fears that he may never see Severus again. "Is he going to die, Remus?" Harry whispered, letting the tears stream down his face as he leaned back against Draco, who had wrapped his arms around Harry from the other side.

Remus sighed heavily as he scrubbed a hand across his tired features and shook his head desolately. "I don't know, Harry. No one does."

S~S~S~S

No one could sleep that night. Ron and Hermione had joined Draco, Harry and Remus at the kitchen table around three in the morning, sharing in their silent vigil. Harry made sure Hermione was alright, as he had seen Ron and Draco drag her in. She had been hit with a Cruciatus and a stunning spell, but she was alright.

Around four in the morning, the basement door opened and Lucius joined the group as well, after receiving a firm hug from his son. He had only needed a bit of rest to shake off the effects of the blood boiling curse, and had only been informed as he joined the group in the kitchen that Severus was very seriously injured.

By six in the morning, all the residents in the house were in the kitchen, and Molly was bustling around making breakfast with help from Ginny. Hermione had tried to help, but Molly had told her to sit down and relax; she had been through enough the previous day and needed to rest.

They were halfway through breakfast when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody came in, both looking stern and worn out. They gratefully accepted plates of food from Molly and sat down to eat. After everyone was finished with their breakfast, they all turned expectantly towards the Minister and Head Auror.

"We have a problem, folks," Mad-Eye growled, looking around the table at the group of people assembled, his magical eye swirling madly about.

"Someone in the Order let the information about the mission to Diagon Alley slip. There's no other explanation. What are the odds of a large-scale attack taking place at the same time on the same day? There has to be a leak in the Order, and we need to find it and remove it as soon as possible. We cannot afford another surprise like yesterday. We were better prepared, yes, but not prepared enough it seems. Voldemort seems to have recruited quite a bit in his silence," Kingsley explained with a weary sigh. He had just come from informing two families that their children were dead, and another that their husband and father would never be home again.

"There were three deaths yesterday, and not one of them was an Order member or Ministry official. Innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. That is not acceptable! We've been trained not only to defend ourselves, but others! Where did we go wrong?" Mad-Eye asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question. The man seemed to be more blowing off some steam rather than really berating anyone present. After all, the occupants of the house were not the only members involved.

"Who died?" Harry asked quietly, his voice rough from his night of crying. He was glad when Draco gripped his hand under the table, offering him an anchor. He hoped he didn't hear any familiar names, though he was saddened by any and all deaths.

"A man by the name of Alan Arlington, who worked for the Daily Prophet, and two Hogwarts students; Michael Corner and Lavender Brown."

Hermione gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and quickly filling with tears. She had shared a dorm room with Lavender since they were eleven, though the girl was never really her favourite person. Ron wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close as Draco gripped Harry's hand even harder as Harry began to shake.

"Where were Michael and Lavender? Why were they there?" Ginny asked, wiping her own tears away. She had dated Michael for a brief time, and though she's had always found Lavender quite annoying, it was a shock to hear that two of your classmates had been killed.

"From what Ms. Brown's parents told us, they had been on a date. They were shopping for gifts to take to the Patil twins' birthday party this weekend," Kingsley answered, looking deeply saddened. It was horrible that two people who were so young had paid the ultimate price for this war.

"Oh, Parvati is going to be devastated. I should write to her…" Hermione said to no one in particular as she accepted the handkerchief Ron was offering her.

"This is all my fault. They would still be alive if I hadn't have gone," Harry choked out, threading his fingers through his hair and shaking his head in disbelief. Two Hogwarts students were dead, all because of him. He was like the plague; death seemed to follow in his wake.

Draco abruptly turned Harry to face him and held his face between his hands, forcing the Gryffindor to look into his concern-filled eyes. "It is _not _your fault, Harry! We made sure everything was planned precisely and things still went wrong. Someone else is to blame; someone let the plans slip to the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters. You didn't have a choice; you _needed _to go, and you _know_ that. Do not blame yourself for something you couldn't control!"

"But I could control it, Draco! It was my decision to go, my plans that were foiled. Three people are dead simply because they were in the same place at the same time as me! How is that _not_ my fault?"

"Stop it! Harry, it isn't anyone's fault. If they'd not decided to go to Diagon Alley, they could have met their end some other way that day. You being there did not kill anyone, so stop. You got _it_, right?"

Harry swallowed as Hermione gave him a pointed look, ignoring the few curious looks from those around the table that had no idea what they were talking about. "Yes, I have it. It's safe. But – "

Hermione shook her head firmly, cutting Harry off and thoroughly irritating him in the process. "No 'but's, Harry. You did what you set out to do. That's all you need to worry about."

"Yeah, easy for all of you to say," Harry grumbled under his breath, giving in as Draco gave him a reproving look.

"How is Severus doing, Remus? I know he's at St. Mungo's, but I wasn't told what had happened to him," Aurora asked, across the table from Remus and Harry. She seemed to sense the panic her question inspired and started to apologize.

"No, no. You have a right to know; you all do. Severus is…he's not doing very well at all. The curse he was hit with caused many deep wounds to appear on his person, and they're cursed to resist any and all efforts to heal them. The Healers had to place him in a medically induced coma in order to stabilize him, but…" Remus' voice cracked and he looked away, grateful when Harry leaned over and hugged him tightly, rubbing his back in imitation of how Severus used to rub his back to calm him down. He missed him so much and he'd hardly been gone.

"Do you know what curse it was, Remus?" Hermione asked, of course always the curious one. He admired he thirst for knowledge, and though he wasn't sure how comfortable Severus would be with this information becoming public, Remus thought he might be able to use her help.

"I do. It…was a curse of his own creation, actually. I'm not sure how other Death Eaters got a hold of it, but I can guess. I don't know the counter curse, though, and I'm fairly sure Severus is the only one who does," Remus explained, feeling completely useless. If only they could figure out a way to wake Severus up long enough to ask him what the counter curse was.

"Well, why don't we search through his notes and journals? If it's a spell of his own creation, that means he's probably created more spells of his own, and it would only make sense if he kept some sort of record of them. I know he might not like us going through his personal things, but if it saves his life, I'm sure he'll forgive us," said Hermione, her expression extremely earnest.

Of course she wanted to help find a cure for Severus, but she couldn't help but think of the volumes upon volumes of information and knowledge locked away in the Potions Master's personal notes and journals. The man was a genius with potions, and he was a fairly powerful wizard in his own right. Hermione had always admired him, even when he was acting like an evil git.

Remus sat stunned for a moment, staring at the young intelligent witch. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. "Of course, Hermione! Why didn't I think of that? Let's go; the more people we have looking, the quicker we may find an answer."

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**A/N:** I'll admit that I probably would have screamed at the author who left this huge of a cliff hanger, but it was necessary! Hopefully the next chapter won't be too far behind. Please review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks again for reading my lovelies!


	47. Property of the HalfBlood Prince

**A/N:** I am SO sorry it's been such a long wait! Summer college is intense and time consuming. I know I left the story at a terrible cliff hanger, but this chapter should remedy any questions. We're getting so close to the end now, I can't believe it! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and hopefully it won't be so long before the next update.

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**Ch 47.  
Property of the Half-Blood Prince**

The Hogwarts dungeons were always slightly creepy, but walking through the dank corridors during the summer was even creepier. All of the Potions Master's books were spread throughout his office, his personal quarters, and even in his classroom at Hogwarts. The Headmistress had given the residents of Grimmauld Place permission to use the floo in her office to travel back and forth from Headquarters to the castle in order to search for the counter-curse to the curse plaguing Severus.

No one could possibly have fathomed just how many personal journals and books of notes Severus had collected over the years. Being the methodical, anal, perfectionist he was, Severus had of course arranged the notes and journals by date, subject, and even colour, which made everyone assume it would be easy to find the spell. How wrong they were.

The earliest notebook was dated the summer before Severus' first year of Hogwarts. Remus was flabbergasted. He had known the man was very academic and had a thirst for knowledge to rival even Hermione, but the sheer amount of self-research the man had done was phenomenal.

"He has notes upon notes of Arithmancy equations he calculated at the age of ten that I can't even figure out now! How did I never realize how brilliant Professor Snape is?" said Hermione, her voice breathless and full of disbelief. She had been randomly squealing and exclaiming at certain things, giving them all false hope that she had found the counter curse, but she was really just excited about the information she was taking in. She'd already apologized a dozen times for causing Remus to nearly have a panic attack.

"Well, you've not really gotten to know Severus very well, have you? I mean, yeah you've been more friendly with him recently, but Sev's a complicated man. Hardly anyone truly knows him; that's why he's always underestimated, but I think he prefers it that way. It's more of a surprise when he outsmarts people that way," Draco said with a smirk as he flipped through a journal of poisons and antivenins.

Remus couldn't help the fond smile and soft chuckle at Draco's words. He was guessing that Draco probably knew the man even better than Remus did himself. Severus had practically raised Draco, and he could see many qualities in Draco that Severus shared. No wonder Harry was so smitten with the blonde.

"I think we should focus on the notes from his later years in Hogwarts. I mean, I can't really see him creating such a damaging curse at thirteen. I'd say it's somewhere between his fifth and seventh year, or even after Hogwarts," Harry suggested as he discarded another fruitless book.

Remus cocked his head, curious why Harry would pick that time-frame. "Why fifth to seventh, Harry? Perhaps he didn't create it until well into his Death Eater years. That would seem more likely to me. Severus…wasn't a pleasant person, even as a teen, but I never thought he would create something so dark."

Harry looked around to the other people in the room. The twins and Ginny were on one side checking the journals from the man's years as a Professor. Aurora, Lucius and Draco were looking through the very sizable shelves of potions notes, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were checking through Severus' school years. They were only up to his second year of notes.

Remus had taken on the task of looking through Severus' most personal belongings; things that required passwords because they were warded. So far none of them had had any luck, but Remus thought Harry might be on to something. He was glad that the rest of the room went back to their own business when Harry moved close to him, making it clear this wasn't a public discussion now.

"Last year, do you remember when I fire-called you and Sirius about that memory I saw in Dad's pensieve?" Harry asked barely above a whisper. He had kept his promise to the Potions Master and had told no one about the memory he had seen while snooping. He didn't think talking to Remus and Sirius about it had been breaking that promise, as they had been there to witness it themselves.

Remus frowned disapprovingly, but nodded. "Of course. I will always regret never stopping them from terrorizing Severus. I was just as bad as they were, if not worse. I had the power to stop it and I just ignored it," Remus grumbled, realizing belatedly that Harry had probably mentioned that memory for a reason, and it wasn't to hear Remus sulk.

"You know Dad has forgiven you, Moony, so you should probably work on forgiving yourself. What I meant though was the fact that Dad and my mum stopped being friends that year. He still doesn't talk about their friendship all that much and I understand why, but I think it really affected him badly. He said that the rift in their friendship caused him to delve even deeper into the Dark Arts because he felt like he had nothing else. If he made any horribly dark curses, I'd think it would have been after the fight with my mum."

Remus ran a hand across his face, completely exasperated with himself. It seemed as though everyone else knew his husband better than he did. He hadn't even thought about Lily's rejection of him causing that kind of ripple effect, and yet Harry had figured it out after only seeing one memory. Remus had lived through it, saw how the outcast of a teen had slipped further and further into darkness after their O.W.L.s. He didn't know what was wrong with him to be so foolish lately.

"That's a very good point, Harry. And now that you mention that, I'm betting it's not in one of his journals or notes. He'd likely hide something of that nature where no one would think to look, in case it was ever traced back to him."

Harry sighed heavily and closed the journal in his hands, his forlorn expression coming back. They had been searching for _two days_ already; he was starting to lose faith. "But you've already checked all of the books he had warded and protected. I don't know where else it could _be_, Moony. What if it's hidden in plain sight, sitting right in front of our noses, but it's too late by the time we figure it out?"

"We'll find it, Harry. Don't give up yet, son. He wouldn't give up on you so easily, so show a little more strength," Remus said, gathering his son into his arms. He had also been starting to doubt they'd find the counter curse in time, but he hadn't given himself the chance to dwell on the possibility, lest he fall apart completely. He was barely hanging on to his sanity as it was.

Remus had stayed to help with the search only reluctantly, leaving at night to sit with his husband and showing back up in the morning, looking completely exhausted and worse for wear. The man hadn't slept in two days, and he doubted he would sleep again at all until Severus was well. He was getting more and more frantic as the Healers gave him more sympathetic looks every night. The wounds were refusing to cooperate and an infection was starting to take hold. One Healer's suggestion of a stasis spell had sent Severus into convulsions. Remus hadn't even been able to floo back to Hogwarts the next morning from crying, and had to be escorted by Tonks.

As Remus rubbed Harry's back, his eyes trailed over the collection of old Hogwarts text books that Severus had kept for some reason. Every single book from every subject the man had taken as a Hogwarts student was there, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Why would Severus keep his old text books? I don't really think he'd ever use them as a reference; he surely has much better material for such things."

Hermione looked up at Remus' seemingly rhetorical question, a sudden thought occurring to her. If the Potions Professor had been so like her in other aspects, who's to say they didn't share one more quirk?

"I save all of my text books because I mark in them; make notes, highlight important information. It's not really the book I want to keep, but the history of my academic progress," Hermione explained, shrugging as Ron gave her an incredulous look and Draco snorted.

Remus suddenly let go of Harry and turned his full attention onto the shelf of Hogwarts texts. This was it; Harry was right. The counter curse was probably in plain sight, they'd just been looking too hard. He started grabbing the books that were all fifth year level and above and started a stack, handing books around to each person.

"Check every single page! The curse is 'Sectumsempra' and I'm hoping Severus wrote the counter curse on the same page or very near by it."

Everyone abandoned their previous explorations and created a powwow on the floor surrounding the stack of books. There were quite a lot as, like Hermione, Severus had jam-packed his Hogwarts schedule every year. Remus had once heard the man say that there was no better distraction than distraction itself, and Severus certainly seemed to be an expert on that matter.

Remus hoped Severus would forgive him for any damage done to his books, as his frantic searching was starting to tear and wrinkle a few of the pages as he turned them rapidly. A loud gasp caught his attention, causing him to cast the book he was looking through aside and dive at Ginny, who looked like she may have found something.

"This is it; it's says Sectumsempra, but I don't see a – "

"Let me see!" Remus said desperately, snatching the book out of her hands and earning a glare from the girl and her twin brothers. They knew he was worried beyond reason, however, and decided to ignore this rudeness for the time being. He flipped three pages before a few spidery words caught his eye.

'_Vulnera Sanentur – counter-curse to Sectumsempra and healing spell (?). Use three times for maximum affect._'

"I've got it!" Remus shouted as he stood and began to rush out of the room, belatedly remembering that he was at Hogwarts and could not apparate within the castle. He started rushing towards the entrance hall and the marble staircase that would take him towards the Head's office to floo to St. Mungo's when Harry caught up with him.

"Moony, let me go too! I want to see him!" Harry panted as he ran alongside Remus, who was running full speed up the many staircases, skidding to a halt to mutter the password to the stone gargoyle that guarded the head office.

"Harry, it's not safe. Please, go back down to the dungeons and wait there. I'll send back information as soon as I can," Remus said as he stepped onto the ever-spiralling steps that led to the door of the Head's office. Harry was right there with him, following him as he rushed to the hearth.

"_Please_, Remus! What if it's too late, what if I don't get another chance to see him again?"

Remus turned and grabbed Harry's shoulders, perhaps more firmly than he had intended in his panic, causing the teen to hiss in pain. "Harry, I will _not_ let that happen, but it is too dangerous for you to go with. I will be too distracted to keep an eye out and protect you. I know this is hard, but please be patient and _wait_ _here_."

Harry made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat, his eyes welling with tears as he finally gave a jerky nod and stepped back from the werewolf, who grabbed the jar of floo powder off the mantle and tossed a pinch in. He watched as his step-father stepped into the green flames and called out his destination in frantic tones. He stood there with tears streaming down his cheeks, not realizing how long he'd been there until he felt a pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

"He'll be ok now, Harry. You'll see. Come back down to the dungeons; Molly brought us some dinner," Draco said quietly, kissing Harry gently on the cheek. He turned the brunette around and wiped the salty streaks from his face, brushing his messy locks back from his red and watery eyes.

"I just wanted to see him, Draco. I'm so scared I'm not going to see him again," Harry choked out, letting the blonde pull him into a tight embrace. He buried his face in his boyfriend's neck and sighed, wishing that he was at St. Mungo's with his parents, but glad for his boyfriend's presence.

S~S~S~S

It was early the next morning when there was a gentle knock on Harry's bedroom door. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was back in the dungeon quarters and not at Grimmauld Place. He got up to answer the door, leaving Draco asleep curled up in his blankets.

"Wotcher, Harry!"

Harry smiled, though it didn't quite reach his tired eyes. He had barely slept at all, and he wasn't exactly glad for the early wake-up call, but he just couldn't find it within himself to be annoyed with Tonks.

"Morning, Tonks. Any news?"

Tonks' hair, which was the exact shade of green of Harry's eyes, seemed to droop before said eyes, turning to chocolate curls that reached the middle of her back. Harry recognized that hair; it was Sirius' hair. This must be what Tonks' natural hair looked like.

"Yes, but not much. Remus said the counter-curse hasn't been used yet because the Healer's are trying to clear the infection out of Severus' wounds before they try closing them. He said he'll let you know as soon as anything changes. He also said that you all should head back to Headquarters because it's safer and there's no reason to stick around at Hogwarts. Besides, the rest of the group don't look all that comfortable sleeping in various chairs or on the sofas out there," Tonks said, thrusting her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the rest of the search party that had refused to leave and stayed in the dungeons that night as well.

Harry frowned, wishing that Tonks had come bearing better news. He was glad to hear something, however, instead of just waiting around clueless. He sighed when he saw all his friends sleeping in the armchairs or on the sofas, even Fred, George and Ron kipping on the floor so that Aurora, Ginny and Hermione could have the more comfortable surfaces. Lucius was sleeping on what looked like a cot transfigured from a throw pillow. Harry felt so lucky to have such loyal friends.

"I guess Moony's right. Did you see my dad? How does he look?" Harry asked hopefully, though he wasn't expecting any good news there either. He could only imagine how his father looked at present moment, and that wasn't something he was keen on thinking about at all. He just wanted some reassurance.

Tonks frowned and grasped Harry's shoulder gently. Her vibrant blue eyes turned slate grey and Harry felt his heart skip a beat. She looked so much like Sirius. The Black genes were strong, it seemed. "I did see him, Harry. He's asleep because the Healers put him in a magical coma to help his body cope, but…he doesn't look good, Harry, but that doesn't mean anything. They can't close his wounds because they're cursed, and they have a protective force around him to keep any contamination away from his wounds, but…I don't think you'd want to see him like this, Harry. You don't want that to be your last memory of him if it comes to that."

Harry felt his stomach churn at the thought of seeing his father with open wounds slashed across his body, asleep but easily mistaken for dead, and knew that Tonks was right. He wanted to make sure his father was ok, but there was nothing he could do, whether he was at St. Mungo's or safe at home.

"Make sure Remus eats, please. He hasn't slept in days and I doubt he's eaten anything either, but he needs to keep his strength up. The full moon is next week, can you remind him of that as well, because I'm sure he's not been paying attention to the calendar, and make sure he's not panicking; talk to him if he needs it – "

"Harry! Calm down, love. I'll make sure he's taken care of, alright? Don't worry about Remus. Round up this group and head on over to Headquarters; I'm sure Molly is dying to feed you all some breakfast."

After Harry had woken everyone, they all trooped up to the Head office to floo back to Headquarters. Professor McGonagall was there shuffling stacks of parchment around on her desk, looking as though she hadn't slept in a few days herself.

"You lot be careful," she told the assembled group as they lined up to use the floo. "I'll be calling an Order meeting within the next couple of days. I do want Severus to be there, but we have many things to discuss and no time to waste."

Molly did indeed have a huge breakfast made up and forced all of them to sit and eat, even though none of them had too big of an appetite after their trying last couple of days. Harry begged off after eating most of what was on his plate, Draco, Ron and Hermione joining him soon after. They sat around a table in the drawing room, staring at a small statuette in the middle. Its red eyes gleamed with the light of the candles and the tension in the air was thick.

"So that's it," Ron said unhelpfully, grimacing at the griffin as if it had done him some personal wrong. Hermione had a book open in front of her and the look of concentration on her face was quite intent.

"What I want to know is if the whole thing is a Horcrux, or if it's just the eyes. I guess we should destroy the whole thing, just to be safe, after all. The problem is; how on earth are we to do that?"

Harry glared at the statuette, twirling his wand around in his hand. Hermione had a very good point. He assumed just the ruby was the Horcrux, but now that Hermione mentioned it, he was sure the entire thing needed to be destroyed, just in case. He just wished he knew how on earth he was going to do that. "I don't really have any more clue than you do. The diary was destroyed by a basilisk fang, and I don't even know how Dumbledore destroyed the ring. I wish he would have given me more information, I wish we had more _time_."

"We'll figure it out, Harry. There's got to be a way to destroy them. If they can be created, they can be destroyed," Draco assured his boyfriend. He wasn't sure how confident he was, but he knew Harry needed the support, and he had to stay positive in order to help him.

"I just thought that he wouldn't have left such an important detail out. He gave me so much information about possible Horcruxes and Tom Riddle's life, but he didn't tell me what the hell to do with these things. It just doesn't make sense to me. If the greatest Wizard of his age couldn't even figure it out, how am I supposed to? I can't do this…"

Draco stood up and pulled Harry's chair back, walked around and knelt before him. He took Harry's trembling hands into his own and stared up into watery emerald so intense he could have gotten lost so easily. "You can, Harry, and you will. There are plenty of people willing to help, who _are_ helping. You're not allowed to give up, you hear me? That's letting him win, letting him have the power he wants. Think of all the people you've lost because of him. You can't give in, not now that you know what needs doing. We'll figure this out, but you need to keep your faith in your abilities, or else we're all doomed. Now snap out of it!"

Harry stared down at Draco, shocked at the blonde's intensity, but glad that Draco had the bollocks to do what his other friends had not; knock some sense into him. He visibly pulled himself together and gave a firm nod, pulling Draco up and into his arms for a kiss. "I won't give up, I promise."

"Good," Draco whispered, his forehead leaning against Harry's as he continued to stare into the depths of his lover's eyes. They really were a window to the soul, and Harry's soul was not in a good place just then. Draco vowed to make sure he kept Harry sane, even if he found the task hard to do for himself.

S~S~S~S

The high backed chair felt as uncomfortable as if it had been made of ice and nails. Remus squirmed in his seat, wishing he could move closer, but stayed where he was, lest he get in the Healer's way. After taking the protective charm off of Severus, the Healer's had immediately began to clean the wounds with a combination of Muggle and Magical means, trying to clear out the infection enough so that the wounds could heal now that they had the counter-curse.

Remus had run as fast as he could, had given the counter-curse to the Healer's in a desperate rush, and then he was told to sit back and wait. They couldn't cast the counter-curse yet, and Remus was highly agitated. After all that searching, that desperation to get the counter-curse to the Healers, he still had to sit and wait. He wanted to be angry at the Healers, to rant and rave and tell them to do more, to save his husband, damn them! But he knew it was not their fault, they were doing all they could.

Remus didn't want to blame anyone, but he had to. Someone had to be responsible for the debacle. How on earth had the Death Eaters known they would be in Diagon Alley on that particular morning, during that specific time? Someone had to have told them, leaked the information, but who? Did they unknowingly give it away, or was there another spy in their midst, another Peter Pettigrew? Just thinking about that slimy rat made Remus want to tear him limb from limb, and the thought that history could be repeating itself made him sick.

He was lost in his pondering when he heard what sounded like a song being chanted, the rest of the noise in the ward strangely gone. He looked up and saw the Head Healer of St. Mungo's tracing the wounds littering Severus, chanting the counter-curse three times in a row. Remus stood and moved a bit closer, gasping when he saw the torn and sliced flesh begin to meld and knit itself back together, the skin raw and red. After the third incanting, another Healer moved forward and began to treat the healed wounds with Essence of Dittany, but even after two applications, the scars would not fade.

"We'll let him sleep a little longer to get used to the counter-curse and treat him with some more healing potions to get rid of any lingering infection, then we'll wake him. I'm confident that he'll be alright now, however. You did well, Mr. Lupin-Snape."

Remus took the offered hand and shook it as if in a daze before completely ignoring the Healers and making his way to his husband's side, where for the first time in three days, Remus could take hold of Severus' hand. He felt the tears sliding down his cheeks and was glad that a Healer had thought to move his chair closer to the bed as his knees gave way and he fell heavily into it. The feel of Severus' smooth, warm hand within his own seemed to thaw the ice that had grown over his heart, breaking him out of his inferi-like state and making him feel human once more. His husband was going to be ok.

S~S~S~S

The feeling of being an outcast was not one that Lucius was very familiar with. In any group, he had always been charismatic and charming enough to be accepted, to be included. Now, however, he felt he had no place, no direction. He was there for his son, and he was there to help the Order in whatever they may need, but he did not feel he had any business being where he was.

Stumbling across the information that the Dark Lord had taken the ultimate step towards immortality by making multiple Horcruxes shouldn't have surprised Lucius all that much, but it did. The enigmatic man he had sworn loyalty to as a very young man was gone, a mad creature now ruling in his place. Lucius had been willing to do many things to achieve his ends, but even he knew when enough was enough.

Watching from afar as his son comforted Harry Potter, promised the young man that he'd be there for him, encouraging him not to give up was a sight to see. He would never have expected to end up in this situation, of course, but now that he was, he couldn't find it in his heart to blame the brunette for taking all of his son's attention. He was glad Harry had Draco to rely on and encourage him when his own courage began to give out, and only wished that his wife was there to offer him the same condolences.

Upon hearing that Dumbledore had not specified how to destroy these Horcruxes, Lucius began to think hard. He knew of Horcruxes only vaguely, and what he did know he had learned from ancient, archaic tomes that had been passed down through the Malfoy family for centuries. He remembered reading about the old uses of soul magic, and had even researched to find out if it was now illegal, which it was. It was so illegal in fact that hardly anyone even knew it existed anymore. It was considered so dark and heinous to mess about with the soul that the art had been all but erased from Magical history.

Unless the Dark Lord had taken over the Manor and done away with his possessions, Lucius knew those old books were still in the library at Malfoy Manor, and though he could not recall specifically ever reading about how to destroy Horcruxes, he thought that the books may be helpful in some way.

"I may have a way to obtain some more information on the matter, if I may?" Lucius interjected as he stood from the armchair he had been resting in while the other's had their powwow at the table. They either hadn't been aware he was in the room, or else they hadn't cared what he heard.

Harry looked up at the elder Malfoy, surprised that the man was still in the room. It was a good thing he already knew of the Horcruxes, or they would have just given themselves away. "What do you mean? Did Voldemort ever mention them to you?"

Lucius flinched at the use of his prior master's name, but otherwise ignored it as he took an empty seat at the table, across from his son and beside Hermione. "No, the Dark Lord never mentioned anything to me about any Horcruxes. Seeing as how I was one of his most trusted Death Eaters, I should think if he were to tell any of us about them, I would have been one of them. No, I think he kept that information all to himself, and rightfully so. Though he may have trusted me, he knew there was always a chance of betrayal. The Dark Lord is not a stupid man, morals notwithstanding.

"The information I might have is actually in a set of very old books, passed down through the generations of Malfoys. From my research, it seems as though the Malfoy family owns the last known copies of these books, as the others were all hunted down and destroyed so that the knowledge could not be spread any more. These tomes are on the archaic practice of Soul Magic, which is nearly completely unheard of these days."

"The Cartus Animarum? Those books were hardly even in English! How did you understand any of it?" Draco asked curiously. He knew of which books his father spoke; they were the oldest in the Malfoy library, under many spells to help preserve them. They were also books that his parents had forbid him from reading, but since rules were created to be broken, he had of course attempted. The wording was so archaic and strange that he'd not been able to make head nor tails of it, and he had given up the attempt.

Lucius sent a mild glare at his son, who had of course been forbidden from going anywhere near those books. He couldn't hold it against the boy however; he had done the same thing after his own father had forbid him from reading the tomes. "Many years of practice taught me how to translate such ancient language into a more modern context. Though I am not sure they will be of any help at all, it never hurts to make sure. I could bring them here for Ms. Granger and myself to look through; I'm sure she's well versed in translating difficult literature."

"You can't be serious, Father! You can't go back to the Manor; it's too dangerous. If the Dark Lord is not there himself, he'll surely have people watching it to make sure we don't attempt to enter again," Draco insisted, nearly rising out of his chair to impart his seriousness to his father. It would be mental to enter that house again.

"Do not mistake me for a fool, Draco. I am not foolish enough to simply walk up and traipse through the door like some common house elf. I have ways of getting into the Manor undetected. It is one of the many perks of being the Head of the Malfoy family. Some day you too will know these things, but do not think for a second I would risk myself or anyone else by being so obvious," Lucius hissed, giving his son a disdainful look. Hanging about with Gryffindors had clearly begun to rot the poor boy's mind.

Draco shrunk back down into his seat, his cheeks aflame in shame and embarrassment. His father still knew all too well how to hit him where it hurt. He was sure he'd never be able to shame people as expertly as his father could, though he wasn't very sure if that was a talent he ever wanted to acquire.

Sending an understanding look towards his boyfriend, Harry turned to Lucius, who was still sneering at his son. The man had changed, of course, but he still wasn't Harry's favourite person. "If you can get in and bring us those books, we would really appreciate it, sir. If they mention Horcruxes at all, they just might be what we're looking for."

"They do mention Horcruxes; that is how I learned about them. Whether it states how to destroy them, however, is unknown to me. If I had read anything of the sort, I do not recall, but that's not to say that the information is not within these tomes somewhere. I will travel to Malfoy Manor tonight and retrieve them."

Harry felt the tension in his chest unravel a little, though he would not allow himself to become excited. There was no guarantee these books would be helpful at all, but it was more than they had been able to come up with so far, and allowing a little bit of hope to seep through the dark disappointment was ok. "Thank you, sir. I really do appreciate you taking such a risk."

"I daresay I owe it to you, Mr. Potter," Lucius drawled with a smirk that Harry had seen grace Draco's face countless times before. The man was most _certainly_ a Slytherin.

S~S~S~S

Four large, steel and leather spine tomes sat heavily on the rectangular table in the library at Grimmauld Place. Hermione and Ginny had spent an entire day clearing out all of the dust and other unpleasant things that invaded a house when it was left to its own devices from the library so that it could be usable for research purposes. Lucius had come back from Malfoy Manor laden with the heavy tomes early the morning before, unscathed and unconcerned about is trek into his former home. He and Hermione had immediately begun pouring over the books, the only two who could even make sense of the language in which they were written. Harry had tried to read a single paragraph and had immediately been plagued with a headache.

Instead, Harry, Draco, Ron and Ginny were left brainstorming the places that the other Horcruxes could be located in. Harry still thought that Hogwarts was a good possibility, and Draco was fairly certain that one must be in Godric's Hollow where Harry was born, but they were sure of nothing. As much as Harry wanted to go out and investigate, no one would let him leave, and especially not on his own. Little as he wanted to get the Order involved again and risk more people getting hurt, Harry knew he had to be patient, but he felt as though time was running out, and the longer he waited, the more desperate he was starting to feel.

It was during one these brainstorming sessions two days after finding the counter-curse to Sectumsempra that Harry heard a voice he had feared he'd never hear again. It was more beautiful than phoenix song.

"Such diligent students, and even during summer holidays," the voice drawled, though it sounded weaker and more teasing than Harry had ever heard it before. He whipped around in his chair and then nearly toppled over in his haste to rush to his father's arms.

"Dad! You're alright; you're here!" Harry exclaimed, holding the Potions Master close as everyone else came over to greet the man and express their pleasure at his recovery. He was hugging the man so tight he was sure he couldn't breathe properly, but he couldn't convince himself to let go until Remus started to pull him away. He was almost faint with relief that his father was ok.

"He's still fairly weak, Harry. Give him some breathing room," Remus instructed, though he had a huge smile on his face as he pulled Harry into a hug. He had thought about sending a message ahead for Harry to tell him that Severus would be coming home, but he thought surprising him would be more fun.

After Harry pulled away from Remus, he saw that the werewolf was helping to support Severus, who looked more pale and tired than Harry had ever seen him, but that was not the most shocking thing. Livid, raised scars marred his face and neck, even his hands; any visible flesh. They looked fresh and even painful, and Harry felt a flare of anger in the pit of his stomach rush through his very veins and light his heart on fire.

Severus saw his son's reaction to the scars now littering his person and gave a sad smile. "They are permanent, though the Healers say they will begin to fade over time. They're cursed scars, so even dittany could not remove them, not after so long without any treatment. But it's alright; now Remus and I have one more thing in common."

Remus smiled at his husband and pulled him into a quick kiss. "We just wanted to come assure you all that Severus is alive and well, but now he must be getting back to bed. He still needs plenty of rest to recuperate. Molly said to tell you lot that lunch will be ready in half an hour, and not to get too lost in your books and be an hour late…_again._ I'll join you shortly," Remus assured his son, reaching over to wipe the few tears on Harry's cheeks away. Everything was going to be just fine now, they would all see.

S~S~S~S

After making sure Severus was comfortable in bed, Remus lay down next to his husband, the book the Healers had returned to him upon their retreat from the hospital clutched in his hands. It was both sickening and a Godsend.

"Why did you ever create such a curse, Severus?" Remus asked quietly. He looked down at the pale man, who was lying on his back, the covers pulled up to his bare chest. He slid the blanket down a little and very gently traced the angry scars that littered the man's chest like lattice work, so very like his own cursed scars.

"It was a very dark time in my life, Remus. Besides, I was simply curious about spell creation. I never intended for that spell to ever be used by anyone else. I'm still not sure how it got spread as it did. I must have slipped up and mentioned it to someone at some point, but I cannot remember."

Remus was flipping idly through the pages, pausing every now and then at another scribbled note in the margins. He reached the back cover and was about to set it aside when he paused.

"'Property of the Half-Blood Prince'," he read aloud, looking down at Severus once more, who actually blushed, much to his surprise. "What's that all about?"

"I fancied myself to have a bit of an alter ego in my teen years. I thought that if I used an alias, a name that no one could associate with the likes of me, my research and work would be taken more seriously. Clearly I was delusional, but I was also a love-sick teenager."

"But why 'Half-Blood Prince'? What does it mean?" Remus asked, quite curious now. He had known that Severus had not been very well liked in their Hogwarts years, but he never knew the man had been so ashamed that he came up with a separate person for people to look on.

"My mother's maiden name was Prince, and since I was not all too proud of being a Snape, I decided to drop that part of myself. I'm a half-blood, but I am also a Prince. I thought it was sufficiently vague enough so that no one would ever know it was Severus Snape behind the mask. Like I said, I was a foolish boy."

"We all were, Severus. But I'm sorry you felt you needed to become someone else for people to accept you. I know I never made things any easier for you, and I apologize for that. James and Sirius were wretched, but I wasn't much better, ignoring everything they did," Remus admitted, brushing a lock of ebony hair away from his husband's deep blue eyes.

Severus turned his head and brushed his lips tenderly against Remus' hand. "What's done is done, Remus. I've already forgiven you for any past discretion. I love you."

Remus swallowed past the lump forming in his throat and leaned down, pressing his lips firmly to Severus', wrapping an arm around the man as he deepened the kiss. "I love you too, Severus. Please don't ever leave me like that again."

Remus stayed with Severus until he fell asleep, his scar riddled chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm with his heart. He pressed a kiss to the man's forehead and smiled. "You'll always be my Prince, Severus."

* * *

**A/N:** See, all those threats to murder me in my sleep if I killed off Severus were unnecessary! Ok, ok – I deserved it…But I made it all better! Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. The next one is a little more exciting, I think. Thanks for reading!


	48. Coming of Age

**A/N: **Wow, I can't even begin to explain how sorry I am for this really late update. Life has been super crazy lately, and it's about to become even more crazy as I'll not only be a full time college student, but I'll also have a part time job. All my free time is bye-bye. So, to make up for being horrible, I'm giving you guys this chapter, and if you guys ask nicely in your reviews, I might post chapter 49 really soon as well. It's getting much closer to the end now. Thanks to all of those who have stuck with me through this story, it's been a long and bumpy ride, but it's not over yet! Enjoy!

* * *

**Ch 48.**  
Coming of Age

After sitting down with Hermione and Lucius to talk about their findings in the Cartus Animarum, which were very few and not altogether helpful, Severus took Harry aside just before lunch.

"Harry, I don't know exactly why Professor Dumbledore wanted you to keep the Horcruxes a secret from all but Ron and Hermione, although I have my suspicions, I think perhaps he may have had a point. There are more than enough people who know about them now; the information could be dangerous if anyone let it slip."

Harry sighed heavily as he slumped into an armchair in the drawing room. This room, the one he had hated so much the summer before because of the Black Family tapestry, seemed to be the heart of the place now rather than the basement kitchen. "I know, but what am I supposed to do about it? I needed the help, Dad."

"I understand that, Harry, and I'm not saying you're wrong for asking for that help. What I'm saying is that perhaps we should think of way to rectify the situation," the Potions Master said calmly as he sat on the ottoman in front of Harry's chair. He was still a little weak and had slept entirely through breakfast, but he was glad to be back. Losing three days of your life was never a pleasant thing to go through.

Harry leaned forward, his face screwed up in confusion. His father couldn't possibly be suggesting what he thought the man was. "I don't think I understand, Dad. What do you mean, 'rectify the situation'? I can't _un_-tell people."

Severus gave Harry and pointed look. He knew the Gryffindor wasn't stupid; the boy had to know what he was getting at, but he would humour him. "After this is all over, after Voldemort is gone…I think we should obliviate some of the knowledge about the Horcruxes from those who know, including myself. You should be the only one left with all of the information in the end."

Harry stood up immediately, glaring at his father. "Absolutely not! Not only is tampering with people's memories just wrong, but it'll be like removing months and months from their lives! Dad, I can't do that to anyone, least of all you. Please don't make me do this."

Severus stood and grasped his son's shoulder, cupping his cheek gently in his palm. "Harry, calm down. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do; I was just making a suggestion. We'll worry about it when the times come, how about that?"

Harry took a few deep breaths and nodded his consent to that, at the least. He had enough on his plate to worry about; he didn't need any more stress on his shoulders. He allowed his father to pull him into a hug, relaxing into the embrace.

Severus chuckled as Harry leaned against his chest, lingering in the hug for longer than necessary. He threaded a hand through the boy's messy hair with a fond smile on his lips. "Is there any particular reason for this solicitous behaviour?" Severus drawled, content to hold his son close, despite his teasing tones.

Harry laughed and hugged his father tighter to himself. Merlin, how he'd missed him. "I was so scared that you'd never come back. I can't lose you, Dad," Harry whispered, trying to fight back his emotions. He had cried enough for his father; he was ok now, there was nothing to be upset over. But every time he thought about the fear and worry he felt while waiting to hear how Severus was doing, it felt like a hand was squeezing his heart.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I should have been more careful. I hesitated at the wrong second. Mr. Corner and Ms. Brown were there in front of me and I…I wanted to help," Severus admitted for the first time. He had not even revealed that information to Remus, simply because the man had not asked.

Harry pulled slightly away from his father, his face etched in pain. "You saw them? It's all my fault…they'd still be here if not for me, and then you almost died too. I'm like the plague; I just spread death and discord."

"Harry, stop it! That is not true. You can't keep blaming yourself for these things, son. I told you that I would die for you, and I meant it. If it was my time to go, then it was my time. You do not have control over fate."

"Don't I? 'Neither can live while the other survives'. Sounds a lot like fate to me," Harry said quietly, not meeting his father's eye as the man gave a weary sigh.

"Oh Harry, please don't let that Prophecy run your life. You are only in control of yourself; that's it. Please stop taking on the weight of the world," Severus insisted as he sat back down on the ottoman, pulling his son down beside him. He was feeling a bit lightheaded, but he did not want Harry worrying about him at the moment.

"I would if people would stop placing it there for me to carry," Harry grumbled. He noticed how his father paled before they sat back down and frowned. "Are you feeling ok? Perhaps you should head back to bed, Dad. Don't overdo it."

Severus smiled at the young Gryffindor and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Aren't I supposed to be the parent here?"

Harry grinned at his father and leaned his head on the older man's shoulder. "You keep telling yourself that," he teased, glad to hear the Potions Master chuckle beside him.

S~S~S~S

Though Harry had insisted that no one make a big deal out of his birthday, of course no one had listened to him. Mrs. Weasley had insisted on a small party at the least and had made plans to prepare a veritable feast and a cake large enough to feed the entire Order. That was just how Molly was.

Draco had been whispering with Ginny and Hermione the last couple of days, abruptly stopping any time Harry joined them. It was obvious they were plotting something, and the fact that his birthday was coming up made it obvious that it was something for him. He appreciated the excitement for his coming of age, but he really wasn't all that concerned about celebrating; they had more important things to worry about.

"They just want to make sure you have a good birthday, Harry. You don't have very many happy memories when it comes to your birthday; they're trying to make some for you," Ron tried to explain to Harry when he voiced his concerns while looking through Hermione's and Lucius' notes about Soul Magic.

"I know, and I'm glad they all care so much, but I don't feel like my birthday is that important. We could being using this time to plan things with the Order about the Horcruxes or just what the hell we're going to do when it comes time for me to face the bastard once and for all."

Ron gripped Harry's shoulder and shook his head with a sympathetic smile. "Harry, mate, just relax for a bit. No one is expecting you to get rid of Voldemort within the next week, so just loosen up and let Mum throw you a ridiculous coming of age party."

Harry sighed, running his hand through his messy hair. Moony had told him the same thing, and he knew everyone was just trying to do something nice for him. Perhaps he should just get over it and let them. After all it was just one day, and you only come of age once.

"Yeah, alright. But it's really weird to see Hermione and Ginny plotting anything with Draco, you have to admit," Harry said with a grin as he traded a few pages of notes with Ron. It felt good to be able to talk to Ron like this again, like they were best friends again. Draco and Ron had gotten along fairly well the last week or so, especially while looking for the counter-curse to Sectumsempra. Harry was glad that he didn't feel the need to choose between them anymore.

Ron shuddered playfully, his grin giving away that he was just joking. "Mate, it's weird to see you and Draco Malfoy making eyes at each other all the time, seeing him just _talking_ to the girls is pretty tame compared to that."

Harry burst out laughing, earning a glare from Lucius, who was working at a table a ways behind them. Draco, Ginny and Hermione had run off to whisper together again, as Harry's birthday was tomorrow. Remus and Severus had been conspicuously absent as well, and Harry just hoped they weren't planning anything more extravagant than a little family party.

As if beckoned by his thoughts, Severus and Remus came into the library, talking amongst themselves. They seemed oblivious to anyone else, which was an interesting sight to see; they were always more open when it was just the two of them, like any close couple would be.

"…just like you at that age, I swear. He's becoming more and more like you bloody Gryffindors every day, Rem."

Remus wrapped an arm around the Potions Master and pulled him close for a smacking kiss, a cheeky grin on his face as he smiled at his husband. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Sev. Let him have his fun, love."

Severus rolled his eyes, a genuine smile on his face. He was about to respond when he finally realized there were other people in the library. "We have an audience, Remus," he said in a stage whisper.

Remus turned and saw Harry smiling at them, Ron's face red with embarrassment and Lucius pretending like he had heard nor seen anything out of the ordinary.

"Careful; you guys are scaring the normal folk amongst us," Harry jibbed playfully at his parents. He was surprised to hear a chuckle from Lucius as Ron turned an even darker shade of red.

"There is nothing normal about a Weasley, a Malfoy and a Potter all sitting amiably together in one room. We're leaps and bounds from normal, Mr. Potter," Lucius corrected the young Gryffindor. Harry and Ron snorted in appreciative laughter.

"So, have you gotten over all of your misgivings about this little party Molly is insisting on?" Remus asked as he sat down beside Harry and across from Ron. He shifted a few of the stacks of notes, looking at how far the boys had gotten through them. The book on Soul Magic hadn't really made any more sense to him than it had to Harry or Ron, and he was curious to know if they'd found anything useful.

Harry sighed heavily as he sat the parchment he had been reading back down on the stack it belonged to. Though he still felt it was a little silly to make such a big deal about his birthday, he stuck to his previous decision. "Yes, but I still don't understand why everyone is so excited about it."

"It's your Coming of Age, Harry. Perhaps you've never really been around most Wizarding traditions, but turning seventeen is a big deal in the Wizarding world. It symbolizes that break away from childhood to adulthood, gives you freedoms you've been previously denied, like using your magic whenever you want. I think it is also an especially big deal when it comes to you because, quite frankly, it's amazing that you've made it to seventeen. Each birthday should feel like a personal victory for you; proof that you're stronger than those who are trying to take you down," Severus explained to his son, who still didn't look quite convinced.

Harry knew his father was trying to make him feel better, but he wasn't sure it was working all that well. "I think it shows more how much my mum loved me, and how strong her protection was. I would've died the night she and my dad did if it weren't for her sacrifice. That's what I think about every time I have a birthday."

Severus smiled sadly at his son, a pang in his heart as he realized he thought the same thing. Lily really had been an extraordinary woman. "That's why you celebrate, Harry, to let them know you appreciate what they did for you. Lily and James would want you to be happy."

Harry smiled at his second parents and felt like the luckiest person alive. Not only did he have parents who had loved him so much they gave their lives for him, but he had a second set of living parents who would do so as well. How many people could say that?

"I am, Dad."

S~S~S~S

The next morning, Harry woke up to a deep kiss against his pliant lips, drawing him quickly out of his slumber and to very much awake. He smiled as Draco ran a hand through his especially messy hair and pulled the blonde closer.

"Good morning, birthday boy," Draco drawled before kissing Harry again. It was another twenty minutes before they both showered and headed down to breakfast, where Molly made a fuss over Harry and served him _way_ too much food.

The guests for Harry's party started to arrive at noon, though there weren't very many, which Harry was glad for. Charlie and Tonks arrived together, looking quite comfortable together, while Bill and Fleur took a little bit of the focus off of Harry himself and onto them as Fleur flashed around her gorgeous new engagement ring. Molly had burst into tears of happiness.

The twins, who had been gone for a couple of days doing Merlin knew what, showed up with a large crate that no amount of needling from their mother would they reveal the contents of. They both disappeared upstairs with it and didn't come back down for nearly fifteen minutes.

A few other Order members showed up as well, such as Kingsley, Mad-Eye Moody, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Percy (which nearly caused Molly to burst into tears once more), and a couple of guests Harry had not been expecting at all.

"Neville! What are you doing here?" Harry asked as he wrapped his friend in a warm hug before accepting a kiss on the cheek from his elderly grandmother, who still quite frankly gave him the creeps.

Neville accepted hugs from Ginny and Hermione and handshakes from Ron and Draco before turning back to Harry with his classic crooked smile. "Ginny's been going on about it for a while now and invited me along. Gran even agreed to let me stay the night."

Harry's brow furrowed, not quite sure why Neville would need to stay the night, but glad to see his friend anyways. "Well, happy belated birthday. How was your coming of age?" Harry asked as everyone moved from the entrance hall down into the basement kitchen, where there was every kind of food you could think of lining the table, and a gigantic cake in the middle covered in chocolate icing.

Neville smiled as Molly kissed him on the cheek and pushed a plate of food into his hands before greeting his grandmother with another kiss and great cheer. Harry hadn't seen Molly this happy since before Arthur had passed away, and he was glad he'd decided to let Molly throw him a party.

"It was alright, pretty quiet, actually. I think that's why Gran let me come to your party; I didn't really do anything for my own birthday. We went and saw Mum and Dad at Mungo's, then Gran gave me this watch and we ate cake at the Leaky before going home," Neville said, holding his wrist out to show a very nice golden watch with what looked like rubies inlaid in the face.

"Bloody hell, that's a nice watch, Nev," Ron said as he turned the other teen's wrist this way and that to let the light shine off the gleaming metal and jewels.

"It was my dad's coming of age gift from my Gran. She saved it for me," Neville explained, obviously quite fond of the watch as he stroked it absently.

"It's beautiful," Ginny commented as she took Neville's hand into her own, earning a faint blush from the teen. They were all saved any awkwardness as Molly announced that it was time to sing Happy Birthday and cut the cake before presents.

Harry blushed bright red throughout the whole ordeal and was glad to finally blow the candles out on the cake as everyone clapped and cheered. He was steered into a seat and then handed a box, first from Neville, which was a ton of chocolate from Honeydukes and a really nice wrist holster for his wand.

"It's easy to hide in a normal shirt sleeve or a robe. I got one too. They're standard order for Auror training."

"Thanks, Neville!"

Harry of course received a book from Hermione about the history of Defensive Magic, which was actually quite interesting as Harry flipped quickly through it. A gift that had him nearly in tears, though, was the collective gift from the Weasley family.

The clock that showed every member of the Weasley family and their whereabouts had been altered, as Molly couldn't stand to see Arthur's hand listed as 'deceased' any longer. Instead, Arthur's hand on the clock now read 'on the next Great Adventure', and there was an additional hand: a picture of Harry and his name in gleaming letters, his hand pointing at 'home and well'.

The gift that did send him into tears was when Draco stepped forward and instead of handing him a wrapped gift, knelt in front of him, took off his Malfoy signet ring, and placed it carefully on Harry's ring finger. He felt the metal contract a little to fit his finger perfectly. He looked up and caught Lucius' eye, who gave a firm nod of approval.

There was one gift left, and that was the one from his parents. He unwrapped the slightly heavy box and opened the lid, surprised to see that he did not receive the traditional and expected wrist watch, but a beautiful silver pocket watch inlaid with emeralds and his initials carved into the inside of the door; _HJPS. _

Harry hugged his parents tightly as his emotions threatened to run away with him again. He couldn't believe he had put up such a fuss over having a birthday party. He had needed this reminder that there were people around him who loved him, who thought of him as family. He needed the reminder that he wasn't alone, and never would be alone again.

S~S~S~S

Later that night after most of the guests had left, Harry was led up to the drawing room by Draco, who wouldn't answer his questions about where Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and the Twins had disappeared to earlier as the party had started to wind down.

"You are far too inquisitive, Harry. I think you've spent too much time with Granger for your own good," Draco teased before opening the drawing room door and dragging Harry in with him.

"Surprise!"

Harry nearly stumbled back as lights suddenly flared into life, illuminating a small group of people. He saw a table laden with snacks, butterbeer and firewhiskey and instantly began to protest.

"I know it's my Coming of Age, but I can't afford to get pissed and risk the chance of being too smashed to move. What if something happens, an attack, and we're all too drunk to help? No, we can't."

"Calm down, Harry me lad! We've taken the necessary precautions, we assure you," Charlie said as he wrapped a heavily muscled arm around Harry's shoulders and drug him over to one of the sofas.

"Since I'm not of age yet, I'm going to stay sober and make sure none of you drunken hooligans kill yourselves. Your dad also provided us with enough Sobering potions to sober everyone in the room up in less than a minute," Ginny explained as she gestured to a small potions rack in the corner that held several small vials of violet liquid.

"You need to relax, Harry, and just let yourself be a kid for once! Everyone has to get pissed at their Coming of Age! And since there are no less than five of you who recently came of age and have yet to have the traditional drunken party, we thought it was long overdue. We have permission from all the parents, and grandparents, so long as we make sure you guys stay safe. So let your hair down and have a bloody butterbeer already!" Tonks said as she used her wand to pop open a bottle of alcoholic butterbeer and pushed it into Harry's hand.

Harry looked around and realized that Tonks was right; he was the last of his friends, besides Ginny, to come of age, and none of the rest of them had done anything special for their birthdays. They'd all been under too much stress to bother and that was why Harry had been so reluctant to make a big deal about his own birthday. But Tonks was also right that they all deserved a chance to relax and feel like normal teens for just one night. They had the Sobering potion and permission; what was there to stop them?

Harry raised his butterbeer into the air, grinning as everyone else scrambled to claim their own bottle and open it, raising theirs along in the toast. "To finally being able to use magic outside of school…legally!" Harry yelled, earning many cheers and laughs from his friends.

Harry took a big swig of his butterbeer and smacked his lips, missing the taste after such a long time away from his favourite drink. He had to remind himself that this version had alcohol in it, and he'd need to pace himself or risk getting really pissed, really fast.

There were still quite a few people around for this second installment of his Coming of Age. The twins were talking to Charlie and Tonks, who were now quite obviously together now that they were away from the prying eyes of Molly. Ginny was sitting beside Neville on the sofa, who had agreed to only drink a butterbeer or two and stay mostly sober so she'd have someone sane to talk to throughout the night. Ron was clinking his bottle against Draco's, who sent a wink in Harry's direction before taking another deep drink of his beer.

"So, are you glad you finally caved?" Hermione asked from beside Harry, who was still standing next to the table full of snacks and alcohol.

Harry grinned and clinked his bottle his Hermione's throwing an arm around her shoulders in a half hug. "Yeah, I am. You guys have been planning this the whole time, haven't you?"

Hermione smiled and nodded, swishing her wand at an old Wizarding Wireless and changing the station to one that played upbeat music. She tugged on Harry's hand and dragged him to the middle of the room where she started to sway her hips and toss her head around.

"You needed a break, Harry; we all did. Now stop fretting and have some fun!" Hermione shouted over the music. Charlie and Tonks soon joined them, and Ginny dragged a reluctant Neville to the makeshift dance floor next.

An arm snaked around Harry from behind, pulling him flush against the body behind him and away from Hermione, who winked at the person over Harry's shoulder. "May I have this dance?" Draco drawled, spinning Harry around to face him as Ron took up Harry's post as Hermione's dance partner.

The twins, who were the only ones left without a dance partner, started their own kind of strange interpretive dance in the middle of the group of dancing friends, causing them all to nearly fall over with laughter.

At some point, Harry's empty bottle was replaced with another, and then all of the teens who had recently turned seventeen took a shot of firewhiskey together, steam pouring out their ears as they all grimaced with distaste. By the time Harry had his third butterbeer in hand, he was feeling quite warm around the edges and very happy indeed.

A slower but still upbeat song came on the Wireless and Harry dragged Draco back onto the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the drawing room. He pulled the blonde close as they swayed to the beat, wrapping his arms snugly around his boyfriend's neck.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Draco asked, his arms wrapped securely around Harry's waist as he allowed the brunette to move him around the dance floor, perhaps with more stumbling than either of the realized.

"Everything. This, the ring, just being here. I don't know what I would do without you or my friends. I love you," Harry whispered before leaning forward and catching Draco's lips in a gentle kiss.

Draco smiled against Harry's lips and deepened the kiss until a wolf whistle from one of the Weasley men reminded them that they weren't alone. "I love you too, Harry, and you're welcome. This part was mostly Hermione's idea, actually."

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. Diligent little Hermione, suggesting a night of drinking and wild dancing instead of more research was a little hard to imagine. "She's got a wild streak, that one."

"Almost makes me jealous of Weasley," Draco drawled, causing Harry to burst out laughing as they both lost their balance and ended up sprawled out on the dance floor, still laughing at each other.

They both gasped in surprise as a loud explosion rent the air above them. Harry was glad for the vaulted ceilings as he watched Fred and George's wet-start fireworks light up the room and reflect colourful patterns on Draco's alabaster skin.

It was the perfect ending to the perfect night, but somehow Harry knew that this was the calm before the storm. He allowed himself to relax for one night because he knew there wouldn't be another chance. He had no idea just how right he was.

S~S~S~S

A few days later, another Order meeting had come and gone, without very much productive or helpful information, but a bolstering of spirits as Mad-Eye Moody announced that a couple of unimportant Death Eaters had been caught trying to break-in to the Ministry's Records Department.

This only raised more questions, however. Why would they want to break-in to the Records Department, what was Voldemort planning now? Was it just a decoy to distract the Order from bigger happenings?

Hermione and Lucius had come up with a possible theory on how to destroy the Horcruxes, but they weren't absolutely sure if it would work and were a little reluctant to experiment with the one Horcrux they had at their disposal.

"It's a variation of a dissolving potion that uses some very unique ingredients. The problem is, if the potion dissolves the object that houses the Horcrux and not the piece of soul itself, there's the possibility of it escaping, which could be very bad indeed. It could try to house itself in the closest living thing."

"You mean possession?" Harry asked, feeling slightly sick just at the idea. The one time Voldemort had tried to possess him at the Ministry was the single most painful moment of his entire life, and he had absolutely no desire to go through such a thing again.

"Not technically, but it's close enough. Hence why we are reluctant to try without knowing for sure if it's going to work," Lucius explained, glaring at the offending griffin statuette in the centre of the table they had all gathered around in the library.

"So how do we find out for sure if we can't test it?" Harry asked incredulously. This was getting them nowhere. He knew finding them was important, but if he couldn't destroy the bloody things he was basically back at square one.

Hermione sighed gustily and shuffled through her notes before giving Harry an apologetic look. "We're still working on that. I'm sorry, Harry; I wish we had better news."

Everyone fell silent as they became lost in their own thoughts. Possible hiding places and ways to destroy the Horcruxes flitted through Harry's mind, so repetitive that he was starting to get a headache.

"I still think he had to have made a Horcrux with the Potters. Their deaths would have been significant to him. We've got to check Godric's Hollow," Draco said as he checked the chart Hermione had made of possible locations and items.

"People have searched the wreckage of the Potters' cottage; nothing of significance was found, besides Harry of course," Remus said with a gentle smile towards the brunette in question.

"There was nothing Mum and Dad would have thought was important, something they would want to protect?" Harry asked curiously. The only things he had of his biological parents were the photo album Hagrid had given him and James' invisibility cloak. He didn't own anything of his mother's, besides his legendary emerald green eyes.

Remus sighed heavily, knowing that of all the people in the room, he'd be the foremost expert on anything James and Lily would consider important. "Well there were many things they were fond of, but with the circumstances of their deaths, the only thing important they were trying to protect was you."

"What about jewellery, Professor? Like Mrs. Potter's wedding ring or a Potter signet ring?" Hermione asked as she created another chart on a piece of parchment. The girl was nothing if not thorough.

"Aaron, Harry's grandfather, buried the Potter signet ring with Charlus, James' uncle, who was the older Potter brother by about ten years. It was unintentional, but by the time Aaron remembered the ring, Charlie had been dead for three years. I'm actually not sure what happened to Lily's ring. She may have been buried with it as well. James didn't wear any jewellery, not even a wedding ring. The only thing he was always seen with was his glasses, which we also buried with him."

"What if Mum's ring or Dad's glasses are a Horcrux? Oh Merlin, I don't want to have to unbury them," Harry groaned, his face going decidedly green as his stomach turned. He didn't even want to think about what state his parents' remains would be in after sixteen years.

"Wait; let's think about this more carefully. If Voldemort made a Horcrux from either James or Lily, he had to have done it sometime between the death of James and his attempt on Harry. He couldn't have done it after Harry, for obvious reasons," Hermione said in her most logical voice, causing Ron and Harry to both roll their eyes.

Severus made a thoughtful sound, and Hermione gestured for him to voice whatever it was he was thinking. Any ideas at this point were more than welcome. "This leads me to believe that if he _did_ make a Horcrux, it was with Lily's death and not James'. He killed James and went directly after Lily; he wouldn't have paused to make a Horcrux because that would have given Lily time to escape with Harry. However, Harry was a helpless baby; I could see the Dark Lord making a Horcrux after Lily died right – "

"Right in front of me!" Harry gasped as he cut his father off, sitting up straight as something seemed to click in his brain. "It makes too much sense. Voldemort killed Dad and then went after Mum. He would have had time afterwards to make a Horcrux before going after me, and he wouldn't care that he did it right in front of me because I was supposed to die. I saw it happen!"

"But how could you remember something that happened when you were only a year old? Most memories from that age are forgotten as you get older. You don't actually remember seeing your Mum die, do you?" Draco asked, looking slightly ill at the thought. Having seen his own mother's rather gruesome death, he did not wish the same experience on it anyone else, least of all Harry.

"Well, no, not really. The only knowledge I have of that night is nightmares from when I was little and whenever Dementors come around –"

"Harry, that's _it!_" Hermione gasped as she spilled her ink well across the table. With a muttered oath, she whipped her wand out and siphoned the ink away, still looking directly at Harry with the familiar look of brilliant epiphany on her face.

"You hear your mother being killed any time a Dementor is near, which means you _do_ remember it, because Dementors can't bring up memories you don't possess. Dementors bring suppressed memories forward, your worst memories. You always hear the same thing, right?"

Harry shivered at the very thought of being anywhere near Dementors again. He could remember perfectly the feeling of icy cold dread that wrapped around his heart and threatened to squeeze the very life from him whenever the damned creatures were near. "Yes, that's all I really hear…and see."

The table went very quiet as everyone fixed Harry with a horrified look. He had told everyone that he heard his mother's death when the Dementors were near, but he hadn't ever really told anyone that he could _see_ the acid green light of the Killing curse jet from a bone-like wand and strike beautiful Lily Potter in the chest so hard that she spun around and crashed into the side of Harry's crib, scaring the sobbing toddler into hiccoughing gasps as he screamed, "_Mummy, Mummy! Hold, hold!_"

"You see her, Harry?" the Potions Master asked in a strangled voice, his pallid skin so pale now it was slightly worrying. Remus reached for Severus' hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Harry sighed heavily as Draco unwittingly did the same as Remus had done to Severus and grabbed Harry's hand under the table. He really did not want to discuss this with a room full of people, but if it helped them possibly discover another Horcrux, then he would swallow his fear and do it.

"At first I would just hear her pleading and screaming, and see a flash of light, but after Sirius and I were swarmed in third year, I saw the entire thing. It was more like flashes at first, but it got clearer and clearer the more time I spent near the Dementors. But if Voldemort made a Horcrux from Mum, he'd _have_ to have done it after she died, and I always blackout right as she dies when the Dementors are near. I don't think I remember anything past that."

"Not necessarily, but it's worth a shot to try and find out," Hermione said with an apologetic shrug. She knew Harry hated the creatures, but if it resulted in another Horcrux, then she was sure Harry would be willing to brave another experience with the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban.

Harry sent the bushy-haired girl a half-hearted glare. It was a good idea in theory, but considering it involved Harry confronting a Dementor, he wasn't a huge fan of it. "Do you happen to have a Dementor stored somewhere amongst all of your books?"

"We won't need a real Dementor, Harry. Remember how I taught you the Patronus Charm? A boggart creates the same affects when it takes the shape of a Dementor. This is all assuming your boggart would still be a Dementor, however," Remus explained. He wished Harry didn't have to go through reliving his worst fears in order to find the next Horcrux. It had been horrible enough to watch Harry pass out almost every time they worked with the boggart in Harry's third year.

"I'm sure there's one of those bloody things in this house somewhere. Moody helped us clean them out the summer before fifth year, but I'm sure a few more have moved in. We should ask Mad-Eye to find us one again," Ron suggested from beside Hermione. He had been especially quiet throughout the discussion, and when Harry sent him a questioning look, Ron turned bright red and glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. Interesting indeed…

"I'm fairly positive my boggart will still be a Dementor," Harry said with a pronounced shudder. Just thinking about them so much in one night was sure to give Harry nightmares.

"As I've told you before, having a Dementor boggart is pretty unique. It suggests that what you fear most is fear itself," explained Remus in a careful tone, almost as if he knew Harry was not fond of that fact.

"Forgive me for saying it, but I'm just a bit sick of being unique," Harry grumbled as he twirled a quill between his fingers, slumped over the table with one arm under his chin.

"We don't blame you, mate," Ron said, clapping Harry supportively on the shoulder as the rest of the group assembled around the table nodded in agreement. Once again, Harry was glad to have such amazing friends.

S~S~S~S

Mad-Eye Moody showed up two days later to check in with the Order and agreed to Harry's request to try to locate a boggart within Grimmauld Place. Surprisingly enough, he didn't ask too many questions, which Harry was glad for since he couldn't answer them even if he had asked them.

Moody found the boggart quickly enough, although its location wasn't exactly ideal; it was in Sirius' old bedroom. Remus volunteered to collect the boggart into an old trunk like he had done before, despite Severus' insistence that he do it instead.

"It's one more demon I need to face. I'll be ok," Remus assured his husband before summoning an empty trunk and climbing the stairs to Sirius' room.

Fifteen minutes later, Remus returned to the drawing room with the trunk, banging and rattling from its occupant. His eyes were decidedly redder than they had been previously, and before Remus could assure everyone he was fine, he was pulled into Severus' arms where he seemed to melt. It was another ten minutes of Severus murmuring words of comfort into his husband's ear and stroking his hair affectionately before the werewolf could face the room once more.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Remus said as he pulled the young Gryffindor into a tight hug. He knew getting upset about Sirius again was likely to set off Harry's own anxiety about his godfather's memory.

Harry hugged his stepfather tight and allowed himself to take comfort in the warm embrace for a short time before pulling away. "Don't be, Moony. I understand."

"So, how exactly are we going to retrieve Harry's memory?" Draco asked as he moved the coffee table and the sofa back with a flick of his wand to make room for the rather large trunk.

Severus sent Harry an apologetic look, which Harry interpreted correctly as he groaned into his hands. "The best way is going to be the use of Legilimency. As the Dementor starts to affect Harry and bring the memory forward, I'll use Legilimency to enter Harry's mind and retrieve the memory. After that, it can be placed in a pensieve and viewed there."

"Wait a minute. I don't want everyone jumping into the pensieve and watching that memory, Dad. I don't…I don't think _you'd_ want to see it either." Harry gulped as he tried not to think about the horrible memory he was going to have to live through once more. Only thinking of finding another Horcrux kept him from a full on panic attack.

"I don't think a single person in this room _wants_ to view the memory, Harry, but only one or two of us will be entering the pensieve. I think Remus and myself would suffice. Are you ready for this, Harry?" Severus asked as he grasped his son's shoulders and looked directly into his emerald green eyes. With all of the pressure the world had put on the Gryffindor, Severus was surprised that his son hadn't gone mad yet.

Hermione pulled a couple of bars of Honeydukes chocolate from her pocket and placed them on a side table, which also held a few vials of Calming Draught, an empty vial for the memory, and the stone pensieve that Dumbledore had bequeathed to Harry.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Harry sighed, unsheathing his wand from the wrist holster that Neville had gifted him and standing a few feet back from the trunk. In a parody of Harry's third year, Remus stood at the lid, ready to lift it to release the boggart that would undoubtedly turn into a Dementor. Severus, Lucius, Draco, Ron and Hermione were all standing against the furthest wall from Harry, facing him so that when the time came Severus could make eye contact and Legilimize him.

"On the count of three, Harry. One…two…three!" Remus shouted as he wrenched the lid of the trunk open and stepped back so as not to affect the boggart himself.

The sound of rushing wind rose from the trunk as the black cloaked Dementor rose with a terrifying rattling, sucking in deep breaths as it searched for the closest soul to feed off of. It spread its wide arms as it floated down towards Harry, whose wand hand was shaking violently as he waited for the rushing in his ears to turn to the familiar screams of his mother.

Severus had his wand at the ready, waiting for the signal from Remus. His husband had seen Harry practice against a boggart-turned-Dementor many times and knew the precise moment when Harry started to become most affected. As he watched Harry tremble and then take a stumbling step backward, he looked to Remus who was still holding his hand up to signal to wait. As Harry's eyes rolled in the back of his head, Remus drew is arm down in a sharp motion, and Severus cast Legilimens on Harry.

Once Severus located the memory, he quickly took hold of it and pulled with his subconscious, bringing it to the front of Harry's mind. He took up the empty vial and popped the cork before placing his wand to Harry's temple and drawing the silvery strand away from the boy, dropping it into the vial and replacing the cork. Harry went rigid and collapsed into Severus' arms.

Remus stepped between Harry and the Dementor, which transformed grotesquely into the full moon coming from behind some clouds.

"Riddikulus!" Remus shouted and the full moon burst into a thousand pieced and turned to ash as they fell to the maroon carpet of the drawing room. He turned quickly and knelt down beside Harry, who had collapsed soon after Severus had removed the memory. The Potions Master was kneeling on the other side of the Gryffindor, brushing his unruly hair away from his eyes.

"_Rennervate!_"

Harry gasped as his eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as he expected to see the pale cloaked man before him once more. His heart was beating a mile a minute as he looked up into his father's face, taking comfort from his murmured words of reassurance.

"You're alright, Harry. We got the memory, the worst is over now."

Harry sighed heavily and closed his eyes in relief, leaning into the hand that was running through his hair. He felt nauseous as he heard the echoes of his mother's screams in his head. His eyes snapped open once more as he felt himself being lifted into a pair of strong arms and looked up into Remus' face as the man moved him over to one of the sofas that had been pushed to the side.

"Just lay back and relax, Harry. We'll do the rest, alright? You're safe," Remus said quietly as he gently placed the teen onto the sofa. Draco was instantly at his side, kneeling beside the sofa as he took Harry's hand into his own.

"Are you ok, Harry? You're dreadfully pale."

Harry just grasped his boyfriend's hand in his own as he closed his eyes against the nausea still plaguing him. He was shivering as the cold of the Dementor still shrouded him like an icy blanket. He opened his eyes as a vial of potion was pushed into his hand; a Calming Draught.

Harry sat up as best he could to down the potion, then accepted the chunk of chocolate Hermione was holding out to him with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Thanks," he muttered as he bit off the corner and chewed slowly. Warmth suddenly engulfed him and he felt better, though not fantastic.

Remus and Severus were standing around the stone pensieve, watching the swirling silvery substance with looks of great distaste. Neither one of them were eager to view the memory, but neither were they willing to let the other go alone. It was too much for one person to bear, so they would go together and keep each other strong.

"Ready?" Severus asked as he grasped his husband's hand in his own, his wand hovering over the surface of the swirling memory. Remus' wand was raised similarly and he squeezed Severus' hand in reassurance.

"Let's get this over with, love."

They shared a quick kiss before lowering both of their wands as one to touch the surface of the pensieve, the jerking behind their navels pulling them down into a room that was at once familiar to Remus; Harry's nursery in Potter Cottage.

_The back of a soft pink cardigan obscured his vision as Harry clung to the wooden bars of his crib, crying for his mummy to pick him up and comfort him. He was so confused; why wouldn't she hold him?_

"_Mummy, hold!"_

_The woman with fiery red hair turned, her amazingly green eyes bright with emotion as she leaned down and placed a firm kiss of the toddler's unblemished forehead. She brushed his unruly hair down and gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry Harry, but Mummy can't hold you anymore. I love you; Daddy loves you too, baby. Stay brave, my son."_

_There was a loud bang as the door swung almost off its hinges, startling Harry into falling hard on his bum, which started his crying up once more. The woman was standing in front of the crib, her wand held out before her as she shielded her only son from the cloaked figure that stalked into the room._

"_Move aside."_

"_No! Take me instead, please! Spare my son, kill me instead!"_

"_I said move aside, you silly girl. You are not the one I want."_

"_Please, take me! He's just a baby; he can't cause you any harm!" Lily shouted at the man, whose red eyes shown from underneath the hood of his cloak ominously._

_There was a high, cold laugh that seemed to suck the air out of the room as the man held up his bone-like wand and pointed it directly at the woman's heart. "Perhaps not yet, no. Move aside and I shall spare you."_

"_No, I will not!"_

"_Then you will both die. _Avada Kedavra!_"_

_A sickly green light lit the room up as a scream rent the air. The woman with the fiery red hair and emerald eyes spun around and hit the side of the crib before she thumped to the floor, and Harry screamed at the top of his small lungs._

"_Mummy! Hold, hold!" he shrieked as his pudgy little fists grasped at the wooden bars of the crib. The scary man was kneeling beside his mummy now, reaching for her wrist. He stood up straight once more, a bracelet dangling from his hand as he raised his wand, muttering a spell._

_An agonized scream rent the room as the same green light rose from the still body of the young woman and met with a cancerous black shadow that had burst forth from the screaming man's chest. The hood of his cloak fell back and a pale, drawn face was twisted in pain and pleasure as the greenish, black mist coiled around the bracelet, then vanished. _

_Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself once more, the man turned to the bureau beside the door of the nursery and placed the bracelet in front of a picture of the Potter family, who were smiling and waving as baby Harry drooled and squirmed in Lily's arms. _

"_Now, sweet Harry, it is your turn. It is unfortunate that your mother had to die. I gave her a choice, and she chose death. Severus cannot say I did not try to spare her life."_

_As mad as talking to a Toddler seemed, the man was stalling. Though Harry was too busy screaming and too young to understand, it was obvious that the man was feeling decidedly unsteady after making his fifth Horcrux. He looked disoriented and stumbled as though he was dizzy. _

_The man raised his wand, his face twisted as he stared at the red and blotchy face of the screaming toddler, who was kneeling in the crib now with his stubby arms reaching through the wooden bars towards his dead mother._

"_Mummy, hold!" the toddler screamed and cried as he strained his little arms towards his mummy, confused why she wouldn't wake up and hold him and scared of the pale man who was moving towards him._

"_She can't save you now, little Harry. _Avada Kedavra!_"_

_The same green light that had put his mummy to sleep shot out of the man's wand and hit the toddler squarely in the forehead, the screams stopping abruptly as everything turned to black. _

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**A/N:** I know, I'm very good at evil cliff-hanger endings, but like I said before; if I get enough death threats in your reviews, I'll post chapter 49 within the next few days! Thanks for reading, and PLEASE review! I really need a pick-me-up right now!


	49. Godric's Hollow

**A/N: ** I am SO SO SO sorry that this is so late! I had a really hard semester and I have a part time job now too. I haven't even really had time to write, let alone edit. The semester is over after tomorrow and my seasonal job ends next weekend, so I should have plenty of time to write. I won't promise it'll be a shorter wait, because life can get crazy. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's getting down to the end now! 

* * *

**Ch 49.  
Godric's Hollow**

"Lily's bracelet!" That was the first thing Severus said as he and Remus returned from the pensieve and the horrible memory they had just witnessed. As an unspoken agreement, everyone ignored the tear tracks on Severus' and Remus' faces.

"I can't believe I didn't notice it was missing when we buried her. Lily never took that bracelet off; she'd worn it every day since some time in our third year," Remus explained, belatedly noticing the fresh tears gathering in his husband's eyes. "Severus?"

Severus walked over to the sofa that Harry was still lying on and sat down at the teen's feet, scrubbing a hand over his pale face. He looked up as Remus knelt in front of him, his questioning gaze full of concern.

"Lily and I had those bracelets made on our first ever trip to Hogsmeade in third year; they were friendship bracelets. She still wore it, even after our fight in fifth year?" Severus asked, his voice strained as he absently stroked his own bracelet, which had been hidden under a glamour for years now, but was always on his wrist.

"I never saw her without it, even on her wedding day. I must have been too grief stricken to realize it was gone when we buried her and James. I should have noticed – "

"No, Remus, you were too preoccupied. I'm the one who's made a terrible mistake. I had that very bracelet for ten years after Lily's death. I went to Potter Cottage after their funerals and when I saw the bracelet there, I took it. I thought Lily should have it, though, so I took it to her gravesite and buried it beside their headstone. I had the Horcrux and I let it _go_."

Remus gripped Severus' hand in his own, noticing how the man was rubbing his own wrist, as if the phantom bracelet was still there. "You had no way of knowing its true nature, Severus. There's every reason to believe it's still where you buried it; all hope is not lost."

Severus pulled his hand away from Remus and took out his wand, muttering a counter-charm to the glamour concealing the battered bracelet still hanging unseen from his wrist. He turned the round charm so that the initials 'L.E.' could be seen. "Lily wasn't the only one who never took it off," Severus whispered as he fingered the charm reverently.

Harry sat up and scooted closer to his father, taking his wrist in hand to study the bracelet for himself. Moisture started to collect in his eyes once again as he read the initials over and over again, as if repeating the letters in his head would somehow bring his mother back. "I want to go there."

Severus gave his son a wary look before meeting Remus' eyes, silently communicating with his husband. He did not think it would be safe to take Harry to Godric's Hollow, but how could he deny his son such a thing? "I don't think it is safe, Harry."

"Please, Dad. I've never even seen their graves. I'll wear my cloak, if that will help convince you," Harry insisted, his pleading gaze drilling a hole right through Severus' heart. He couldn't tell him no after that. He'd be there to protect his son; things would be alright.

"Remus?"

The man reached over with a sad smile and shook his head slowly, his hand carding slowly through Harry's hair. "I've been there many times. I don't think I could handle any more emotional struggles today. You both go on, and be careful."

Severus helped his son to stand up and made sure the boy could stand steady on his feet. Unnoticed by the parent-teen trio, Ron had run up to Harry's room and collected the invisibility cloak for him, holding it out with a sympathetic look.

"Stay safe, mate."

Harry grinned and pulled Ron into a quick hug, giving him an extra squeeze to show his appreciation. He knew Ron was trying to make up for all of the things he had put Harry through in the past year, and he was glad to have his best mate back at last. After accepting a hug and a long kiss from Draco and reassuring his boyfriend that he would be careful, Harry and Severus headed out the front door of Grimmauld Place and walked around to the alley. Harry donned his cloak and stepped into the circle of his father's arms so that the man could apparate them both to the gates of Godric's Hollow Cemetery.

The atmosphere didn't feel appropriate when Harry and Severus walked through the rickety old gate to the quaint cemetery behind the church in Godric's Hollow. It should have been pouring rain, or a heavy flow of snow falling thickly to the ground so that it obscured everything around; something besides this seemingly cheerful sunshine and happily twittering birds. Though summer was in full swing, there was a cool breeze that blew Harry's wayward hair about and brought the scent of honeysuckle and pine to their noses.

The cemetery was quiet and somewhat solemn, but not at all eerie like Harry had expected it to be. The only other cemetery Harry had been to was the graveyard in Little Hangleton that the Triwizard Cup had portkeyed him to for Voldemort's resurrection. Harry was glad this place felt nothing like that decrepit wasteland of rotting bodies.

"Would you like to see the headstone by yourself first?" Severus asked suddenly, causing Harry to start from the unexpected baritone of his father's voice interrupting the sound of nature all around him.

"Maybe for just a minute or two?" Harry asked as he followed his father through the winding headstones and statues that marked the places where generations of the town's people slept forevermore.

"Of course, Harry. I'll be right here beside this tree, should you need me. Straight ahead, son."

Harry paused as he followed the direction the Potions Master was pointing towards, and his heart began to race. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous; it was only a slab of marble with names carved in it, after all. Perhaps it was because he knew this was the closest he'd ever get to his biological parents again, and the sorrow that stole over him was almost tangible as he drew ever closer.

As Harry reached the headstone, he saw that someone had charmed every-living lilies to grow; a feat which required an enormous amount of magical power and skill. He dropped down to his knees and let his hand trail through the small gathering of petals and stems as his eyes finally met the words inscribed on the marble before him. There were names and dates, and even an epitaph, but it all blurred together as Harry traced first his mother's name, then his father's, with his fingertips like a blind man would read Braille, dipping into the loops and curves of the elegant script, trying to feel something other than cold stone.

A choked sob tore from Harry's throat as all the pent up emotions within him seemed to surge forth and spill from him in waves. Why did they need to die, why couldn't the bastard have just incapacitated them and done away with Harry? With an ache in his chest so painful he thought it might split him clean in half, Harry wished desperately to lay beside them, to escape this world and never have to worry about Horcruxes or evil dark lords again, safe in an eternal slumber with the people he loved so dearly, but never had the chance to truly know.

"_Dad…_"

Severus heard the strained call and immediately made to move towards his son when a sudden thought occurred to him; Harry could be lamenting James Potter, not calling for Severus. He was torn; he didn't want to intrude on his son's grief, but he thought the boy might need him. As his internal battle warred on, Harry turned and looked directly at him, lifting his hand toward him with such a wretched look of pain on his young face that Severus could feel it gnawing at his own heart with savage teeth and piercing claws.

"Dad, _please_."

Severus moved quickly to his son's side and knelt down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as the young Gryffindor leaned against him and dissolved into tears. He brushed Harry's hair back and placed a kiss on the teen's forehead as he felt tears burn in the back of his own eyes. No one person should have to feel so much pain.

Harry had never had the chance to properly grieve for his parents, and now, kneeling on the earth below which his parents' remains lay, Harry could hold it back no more. His gut clenched with the utter despair he felt gripping his heart, and knew once he left this place, he couldn't come back again. He would have his time to grieve, but he could not afford to lose himself in this grief, this desire to be set free and lay dead beside his parents.

"Where did you bury it, Dad?"

Severus leaned towards Lily's half of the grave, and though it had been more than seven years since he had buried the bracelet, he knew exactly where it was. He dug his potion-stained fingers into the slightly damp earth, the scent of the soil reminding him of thunderstorms and the riverbank he used to play at with Lily near Spinner's End, and began to dig the jewellery out. After about five handfuls of dirt, his fingertips hit the cool metal of the Horcrux. Severus took it up, it's links caked with the earth that had interred it, a root from the lilies beginning to twine around the charm, weave through the links and twist into the clasp. Severus pulled it completely free of its resting place and rubbed his thumb across the circular charm, removing the soil from the small crevices of the engraved letters; _S.S._

Harry scrunched his brow against the twinge of pain that laced through his scar, and for the countless time, he wondered why the Horcruxes and Voldemort himself caused such a reaction from his scar. Perhaps Hermione could help him find out some day. He stared at the bracelet and was glad when his father placed it inside an inner pocket of his robes instead of handing it to Harry to look after.

Harry turned back to the headstone before him and finally read the epitaph placed under the dates. _'The Last Enemy that Shall be Destroyed is Death.'_ What exactly did it mean? It didn't really seem appropriate for his parents' graves at all.

"Professor Dumbledore chose the epitaph. To this day, I still do not know exactly why he chose it. That man's mind worked in mysterious ways."

"I want to see the cottage."

Harry's non sequitur was met with a slightly wary silence as Severus stood and offered his son a hand up. He wasn't sure taking Harry to see the crumbled remains of the cottage was such a good idea if seeing the graves of his parents had upset him so greatly.

"There is not much left to see, Harry, to be quite honest. When the Dark Lord cast the killing curse on you, there was some sort of explosion from the force of the protection Lily had provided you with. Though you survived the killing curse, you were damn lucky to have lived through the backlash from the warring spells. It will be upsetting."

"I still want to see it. I was born here; this is where I spent my only time with my birth parents. I need to see where they were killed. If I see the destruction, maybe it will help me not to feel so numb. I'm losing steam, Dad. I don't know how much longer I can handle searching for these Horcruxes, fighting just to stay alive. I'm so tired of it all; I just want to go to sleep and not wake up again."

Severus felt a deep pang in his heart laced with a note of worry as he heard the utter pain in his son's voice. He could not allow his son to give in, to give up the fight after all he had been through already. He would do whatever it took to make sure Harry made it through this. He'd do _anything_.

"Alright, son. I'll take you."

As Severus was leading his son back towards the gate of the cemetery, one of the older graves caught his eye. There was a symbol engraved underneath the name and dates, and it struck a chord in Severus. He could not for the life of him remember where he had seen the odd triangle, but somehow, he knew it was important. He made a mental note to look it up later, and continued on towards the gate.

Potter Cottage had stood on the edge of the small village, with plenty of land around it to offer some privacy. There had been a beautiful garden, half flowers and half vegetables, and the classic white picket fence made the home look like a Muggles dream. And that was the point; they had meant to blend in, to cast attention away from them. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain.

Now, what remained of the homely cottage was protected by certain wards to preserve what was left of the establishment. The garden no longer flourished as it once had, the white picket fence was gray and weather worn and the cottage itself looked as though it had been dissected and left open for the world to see. Of course, only those of magical blood could see the ruins. To Muggles, it looked like an empty stretch of land that had a 'for sale' sign, but no contact information for possible buyers.

The top floor of the cottage had caved in and hung precariously over the trashed sitting room below. Remnants of sofas and armchairs lay pell-mell across the floor as insulation, stone and drywall littered the top and bottom floors. If you squinted, you could even see a crib, bent and broken into what looked like fire kindling. The cobble stones that led to the porch were covered in vines and dirt, and the porch was cleaved in half by the cottage falling in on itself. Where the front door once stood was blocked by hanging rubble and debris. The cottage had been devastated by the backlash of chaotic magic, it was clear to see, but as Harry stared on, all he could see was a flash of brightest green, the piercing sound of his mother's screams echoing in his head.

"This is where they died. This is where Voldemort destroyed my life."

Harry pulled out his wand and gave it a complicated wave, something Hermione had taught him after he failed the lesson in Transfiguration. The bouquet of wildflowers was colourful and fragrant, and Harry was proud of his work as he laid the bouquet atop the edge of the broken down fence, knowing if he tried to enter the property, some sort of trap set by Voldemort was likely to be triggered. He stepped back and leaned against his father's chest, comforted when the Potions Master grasped his shoulder and pulled him close.

"Let's go home, Dad."

S~S~S~S

With two Horcruxes in the house and no way to destroy them, Harry was getting more and more anxious to find the last one so that they could turn their focus to destroying them. Ron and Hermione had been pouring over books in the library once more, and Draco was trying to make sense of all of the information gained from the Cartus Animarum with Lucius at his side. Severus, on the other hand, was looking up runes and magical sigils with fervour, though he declined to explain himself when anyone asked. Remus was starting to get worried by his husband's actions, but he let the man be after being snapped at one too many times.

It was during one of these frantic researching parties that Severus made a startled noise of discovery and leapt up from his seat. Without so much as looking at a single person in the room, he ran towards the hearth, threw in a pinch of floo powder and was gone in a flash of green.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on with him?" Remus asked out loud as he walked over to the fireplace, casting a spell that would reveal the last place travelled to, as no one had heard a word come from the Professor's mouth. After a few frustrated grunts, Remus finally got his answer.

"Hogwarts. He's gone to Hogwarts."

"Maybe he remembered a book from the library there?" Hermione suggested gently, knowing that Remus' temper was flared by the mysterious actions of his husband. Both of the professors had been irritable and seeming to have a silent war between them the last few days because of Severus' secrecy.

Harry stood and came around the table to examine the page Severus had been reading before dashing off to Hogwarts. None of it rang any bells for him, and it didn't seem to have anything to do with Horcruxes or souls either. "Who are the Peverell brothers?"

"You've never heard the Tale of the Three Brothers, Harry?" Ron asked, surprising Hermione by knowing something she obviously didn't. When he received blank looks he sighed traumatically and walked over to one of the shelves of books, pulling out a small book that looked well worn.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard; they're children's stories that Mum would read to us as kids before bed. The Tale of the Three Brothers is the most popular one because there's this legend that it's based on true events. Everyone thinks the Peverell brothers are the Three Brothers."

"But what do they have to do with any of this? As far as I can tell, they have absolutely nothing to do with Horcruxes! Why on earth is Severus being so damn secretive all of a sudden?" Remus asked rhetorically, clenching his fists in anger. Unfortunately, Lucius took the opportunity to answer anyways.

"Severus has always been an intensely personal man. There's never really any rhyme or reason for his secrecy. Perhaps it is years of having to keep what he knows secret while he was spying still dominating his thinking?"

Remus glared at the blonde man, even though he knew everything he had said was true. "Yes, I realize that, thank you. I'm only his _husband_, why on earth should he tell _me_ what the hell is going on?"

Harry walked over to Remus and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. The tension between his parents within the last few days had been felt by everyone, and it was starting to make him panic. He couldn't watch them fall apart over him, he just couldn't. "It's alright, Moony. When he gets back, I'll make sure he tells us what he's been up to. I'm insanely curious as well. I mean, if it wasn't important to the Horcruxes or destroying Voldemort, he wouldn't be wasting time on it, would he?"

Remus sighed heavily as he hugged his son back and allowed the teen to drag him back over to the table and gently push him down into his abandoned seat. "That's the thing, Harry; I have no _idea_ what Severus is thinking. He's not pushed me away like this since before we bonded. I miss him."

The fire flared to life once more and Severus stepped out, some sort of white cloth clenched in his hand. His steps faltered as he realized everyone in the room was staring expectantly at him, and when he went to shove whatever was in his hand in his pocket, Remus stood angrily, his chair falling backwards with a loud bang.

"Oh no you don't, Severus Snape! What on earth have you been hiding, why did you go to Hogwarts, what the hell is in your hand?" Remus demanded as he stepped forward, his wand clenched in his fist. The tension had finally snapped and the heat of Remus' anger was almost too much to bear.

Severus was stunned in place as he wildly looked around, obviously looking for some excuse, some lie to feed Remus, but the werewolf was having none of it. A low growl emitted from his throat, and Harry suddenly realized that it was close to the full moon, and Remus was a very dangerous man at the moment.

Harry stood quickly and made to get between his parents, sliding his wand out of the holster as he did so. "Moony, please – "

"Please nothing! Severus was always so hurt, so indignant when Dumbledore would keep secrets from us all, when he would hide things and skulk around, and now he's doing the same damn thing! There's no reason for it! Don't you trust us, trust _me_?"

Severus's shoulders slumped as he reached a hand out towards the shaking and angry man before him. "Of course I trust you, Remus. I trust all of you, I…I think I might have found something, but I'm not sure about it yet. I didn't want to tell everyone and get your hopes up, just to shatter them if I'm wrong. Please, just trust me on this."

"Why should I? I've no idea what you're even going on about anymore. While you're off on some wild goose chase, we're all here trying to figure these damn Horcruxes out. Why won't you just tell us what you're doing? If it doesn't work out, oh well. It's not like we're not used to disappointment already, Severus," said Remus, his anger curbed slightly, but he was still breathing heavily and clenching his wand.

"If I'm right about this, I may have found a way to destroy the Horcruxes, but I just don't know enough yet. I went to Hogwarts to confirm a suspicion I've had, that's all," Severus explained, conveniently glossing over whatever it was he had put into his pocket.

Draco was leaning over the book Severus had been reading, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what exactly Severus had been researching. "Cursed sigils? What does that have to do with Horcruxes?"

"That's my point; I don't know yet that it has anything to do with Horcruxes. Albus was connected to this somehow as well, but he never said anything about it. This is dangerous information, more dangerous than Horcruxes. Remus, I'm sorry, but just trust that I know what I am doing."

Remus growled low in his throat again before stuffing his wand back into his pocket and stalking angrily out of the library. It was clear that this fight was not over, but Remus had had enough. Everyone sitting at the table looked around awkwardly at each other as Severus stood in indecision. Should he go after his husband, should he explain? Severus did hate secrets, but sometimes they were necessary. Even though he had a bad feeling about it, he decided that telling Remus at least would not hurt anything.

"Excuse me," Severus said quietly as he left the library. He figured Remus would head to their bedroom to blow off steam, but when he got there, the room was empty. On the way down to check the basement kitchen, Severus checked the drawing room and even the downstairs sitting room, but Remus was not there either. The kitchen proved to be empty as well, and Severus suddenly started to feel a spike of panic. Remus wouldn't have left completely, right?

Before he could walk back up to the library to tell the others, he noticed that a door off of the downstairs sitting room was ajar, a door that led to the overgrown backyard of the old house. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Severus slipped through the back door.

Remus was sitting on a crumbling old stone bench that overlooked a stone fountain that would have been beautiful if it had been taken care of properly. Instead, the stones were covered in moss and wild vines and the cherub at the top of the fountain was weather worn and chipped. Severus' nose crinkled as he smelt a pungent order as he came up behind his husband, and rolled his eyes as he watched a trail of smoke travel up and into the air.

"I thought you quit smoking years ago," Severus asked quietly as he sat down carefully on the old bench beside the werewolf. There was a long silence as the last of the cigarette burned into ash, the acrid smell of the smoke making Severus' eyes water as he tried not the breathe the smoke in.

"I did. I rarely light up here and there when I'm stressed or completely irritated. Takes the edge off, especially near the full moon. Keeps me from ripping people's heads off, you see."

"I'm sorry, Remus. I know you hate when I keep things from you, but I thought it would be better to keep this to myself until I was sure of my suspicions. Apparently I was wrong. I'll tell you, but you have to promise me not to tell Harry or any of the others. I may be a fool for believing any of this could help, but I have to be sure."

Remus turned his head to study his husband's face, seeing the tension and worry creasing his forehead and making his eyes look more blue than black. Perhaps he was overreacting, but he hated that Severus was pushing him away, keeping secrets. Wasn't it his job as Severus' partner to be there for him, to make sure he had the support he needed through thick and thin?

"Is this going to hurt Harry? Is that why you're so intent on keeping it from him?"

Severus sighed as he wiped a hand over his tired eyes, blinking the moisture the smoke had caused back. "It could potentially hurt any one of us. It's powerful and dangerous, and in the wrong hands could be deadly for all of us, the Wizarding world at large."

Remus' angry expression smoothed out into one of faint curiosity and worry. If this was worse even than the Horcruxes, he couldn't even begin to imagine what his husband had been researching. "What do you know, Severus?"

"Have you ever heard the Tale of the Three Brothers?"

S~S~S~S

The bathroom tiles were cold as their bare feet travelled across, pausing every few steps while their owners became too impatient. With the flick of a wand, warm water began to flow from the shower head. The glass door of the shower began to steam up and become opaque. As the two men continued their stumbling trek across the bathroom, faint wet noises could be heard echoing off the tiles. Lips met and tongues slid together as hands explored and massaged, soothed and forgave. As they reached their destination, a single handprint was imprinted on the steamy glass, and that handprint was all Harry needed to see on his parents' shower door fifteen minutes later to know it was probably a good idea to come back later.

Harry smiled as he walked back to his and Draco's room, glad that his parents had apparently made up. That, or they really were drowning each other in the shower, but he suspected not. He soothed Draco's worried and questioning gaze with a deep kiss as he crawled into bed beside him, running a hand through the blonde's icy locks. There was so much love in his family, in this house. It wrapped around him like a blanket, like Draco's arms wrapped around him and pulled him against his chest, their kiss broken only when they could hold their breath no longer.

"I love you," Harry whispered against his lover's lips before leaning down to kiss Draco's breath away once more. He had never felt such a pressing need to be as close to Draco as possible before, and though he was lying completely atop the blonde, he still didn't feel close enough.

"I love you too," Draco whispered back, slightly bewildered by Harry's sudden passion, but not complaining at all. He slid his hands down Harry's back and slipped them under the hem of his shirt, his fingers trailing up bare, warm flesh as he allowed the brunette to kiss him senseless. Then Harry whispered two words he would never forget, two words that would echo in his head for the rest of his life as he recalled how hard his heart began to beat, how strangled his breath became.

"I'm ready."

S~S~S~S

The next morning at breakfast, there was still some sort of tension in the air, but it wasn't coming from Harry's parents any longer. Harry was fidgeting nervously, glancing up every now and then and wondering if everyone sitting at the table knew, or if it was just paranoia. He sighed when Draco rested a hand on his knee below the table and sent him an appreciative smile. That's when he caught Ron's eye and saw him blush bright red, and Harry's stomach fell. Had he heard them? He couldn't have; they'd been sure to put up silencing spells.

After breakfast was over, Ron approached Harry and asked if they could talk privately. Harry sent a desperate look towards Draco who just shrugged and gave a teasing smirk before joining Hermione in the library.

The awkward silence in the drawing room was one of the worst Harry had ever had to sit through in his life. He watched Ron squirm and blush, twiddle his thumbs and open his mouth to speak, only to clamp his jaw shut and blush even more. Harry was growing restless and was on tenterhooks when Ron finally cleared his throat to speak.

"So…Can I tell you something – you know, best mate to best mate? I know – er – this might not be as interesting to you, seeing as you're, you know…um…gay and all, but…er…"

"Ron, would you just spit it out already! I'm jumping out of my skin here!" Harry demanded, extremely confused as to what Ron was going on about. It apparently had nothing to do with him and Draco, which he was glad for.

"Just…just don't tell anyone, yeah? Er, can you cast a silencing spell? I'm bollocks at them."

After Harry had cast a double-strength silencing charm at the doors and at the windows, he leaned forward, more than ready to hear what had Ron so flustered. Admittedly, he hadn't talked to his best friend very much recently, after everything they had been through, but being the one Ron turned to when he obviously needed someone to talk to felt good. He felt important in Ron's life again.

"So…well, um…you know – "

"Ron. Deep breaths. It's ok, it's just me. I'm not going to tell a soul, I swear," Harry assured his friend, starting to become equal parts worried and amused by the redhead's antics. You'd think he'd done something incredibly stupid.

"Yeah, ok. Well, that night, the night of your little after party…well, you see. Hermione and I were both pissed up; she couldn't even walk to her room. So I, er, I helped her to her room, though I couldn't really walk either. I tried to help her into bed, 'cos I knew she couldn't do it on her own, see, but…well. Er…"

"I think I know where this is going, but continue on anyways," Harry deadpanned, feeling a lot less anxious about his own activities the night before.

"This isn't funny, Harry! We, you know…did _it_. But we were really drunk; we had no idea what we were doing!"

Harry saw the panic in Ron's eyes as well as what looked frighteningly like tears and his amusement vanished. He crossed the space between them and sat beside Ron on the sofa as opposed to across from him. This didn't sound good.

"We…we didn't use protection. We're terrified, Harry. Hermione's been beating herself up, feeling so stupid, but it wasn't her fault. I shouldn't have, but we were drunk, and I feel horrible for – for taking advantage, but she said I didn't, that it was a group effort, but she feels like it's her fault because she knew the spells, but she didn't think to use them and – "

Harry placed a hand on Ron's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. The redhead was starting to hyperventilate as a single tear rolled down his blushing cheek. He looked up at Harry with such desperation in his eyes, in sent a pang through Harry's heart. "Calm down, Ron. We'll figure this out, ok? Has Hermione tried talking to Professor Sinistra?"

Ron took a few gulping breaths as he leaned his elbows on his knees and stuffed his hands into his messy hair. "She wants to, but she's afraid the Professor will tell your parents, and she's too scared to let anyone know. I think she's mainly afraid that people will think her stupid and irresponsible, but it's not only her fault. I feel wretched, Harry. What are we going to do?"

"What about someone else you can trust, another girl? What about…Tonks! You can trust Tonks, and I bet she'd know what to do."

"She's dating Charlie, Harry. What if she tells Charlie and he tells Mum? She'll kill me, Harry. She'll kill me, bring me back to life, and then kill me again! I know she wants grandkids, but not while I'm barely of age!"

Harry sighed heavily, knowing that Ron was at least partially right, but he was sure Tonks wouldn't tell Charlie if they asked her not to. Obviously, if Hermione was pregnant, they couldn't keep it a secret forever, but if they asked Tonks not to say anything until they knew for sure and told Molly themselves, Harry knew she would do it.

"Look, have Hermione send Tonks an owl, or ask her to stay after the next Order meeting. I'm sure Tonks won't say anything to Charlie if you ask her not to. I mean, isn't there a spell to tell whether or not she's…you know?"

"Yes, of course there is, but Hermione is utterly terrified and won't perform the spell, and I'm too bloody thick to figure out how to do it myself. I've ruined _everything_," Ron whispered, his voice strained as he buried his face in his hands.

Harry felt completely thrown. He'd never imagined he'd be having this conversation with Ron about Hermione, but it was real and it seemed Ron was heavily guilt ridden. "Hey, mate, like Hermione said; you didn't do it alone. It was a mistake on both your parts, but I think you'll both be able to handle the consequences. Hermione's a genius and you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know you're both scared, but I think telling someone older, someone who would know what to do is what's going to help get you through this. You know I'm always here for you too. And yeah, Mum might kill you, but then she'll hug you for giving her her first grandbaby," Harry said with a cheeky grin as he threw an arm around his best mate and pulled him into a brief side hug.

Ron wiped the tears from his cheeks and eyes and visibly pulled himself together. He had a determined expression, and for the first time, Harry saw the man that Ron had grown to be. He had made mistakes, been extremely stupid and bigoted, but he was still a good man at heart, and he couldn't think of a better father for Hermione's child. The thought of Hermione having a baby brought Harry up short as he tried to imagine her with a baby bump. He shook the image off as Ron gave him another brief hug and smiled ruefully.

"I'm so sorry I ever risked our friendship, Harry. You're my rock; I dunno what I'd do without you. Next time I'm being a prat, just whack me a good one, yeah? I could use a good knocking around or two," Ron said with a sheepish smile as he threw his arm around Harry's shoulder and leaned comfortably against him. It felt like old times, like when neither of them had to care what the other was thinking by being so comfortably close together. Harry was glad they had gotten back to that comfort level at last. After all, Ron was practically a brother to him.

Harry laughed and shook his head, though his expression was one of fond amusement. "I can't say I don't agree with you, dear Ronniekins."

"Oi! I'll kill Fred and George for starting you calling me that!"

S~S~S~S

That night, inevitably, an Order meeting was called. There wasn't very much new information to go on, just a short report from Fred and George about the increase of Death Eater sightings in Diagon Alley.

"Seems like the buggers are getting awfully brave, just waltzing around in their black robes and carrying their masks around like some sort of talisman," said Fred with a scowl.

"It's like their taunting the Ministry, trying to get them to make some sort of move against them," George added.

"Personally – "

"We think it's a trap," the twins answered together.

Kingsley leaned forward, rubbing his chin as though in deep thought. "What do you mean by trap? Obviously they're trying to gain more attention, but why?"

"It's a diversion. They're trying to draw extra security to Diagon Alley in order to slacken security somewhere else. I mean, security in the Alley is already pretty tight after the two attacks that happened there, but I think they're really trying to draw attention away from something else. They're planning something big," George said.

"The problem is figuring out what and where," his twin added.

"You guys keep a careful eye out and make sure you have plenty of security around your shop. You'll be a target for sure. It's no secret that you know Harry and are close with him, so keep your heads up," Kingsley warned, the worry in his voice quite comforting. Minister for Magic or not, Kingsley was still an Order member, still a friend of the family.

"Severus and I actually have an idea, if I may be allowed to speak?" Lucius asked, sitting forward so that everyone at the table could see him. Severus looked uncomfortable, like he didn't exactly approve of this idea being brought up quite yet, but he did not stop Lucius from continuing.

Lucius waited for an affirmative nod from Kingsley before he launched into this new idea. "We are struggling without an informant. We are ignorant to his movements and plans, and we've no idea where the Dark Lord currently is. Without more information, we can't hope to figure out what this ploy of the Death Eater's may be. What we need is a way to get back inside, get the upper hand on his plans once more. We need to infiltrate his ranks."

"Are you saying we should send another spy in? Severus worked hard for years to earn He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's trust. We don't have that kind of time anymore," Professor McGonagall pointed out, her sour expression evidence of what she thought of Lucius and his ideas.

"Spying is not the only means of gaining information, Headmistress. There are those in his ranks who pretend to be loyal, but are in fact terrified, but reluctant to try to leave. If we offer those people protection from both the Dark Lord and the Ministry, they may be willing to spill what they know."

"But the Death Eaters who don't want to be there aren't likely to have significant information to spare. Those close to Voldemort are his Inner-Circle, and aren't very reluctant at all in their support of him," Remus said, his tone suggesting that he had made this point before.

Severus sent an apologetic looks towards his husband before he spoke up. It was obvious they had spoken about all of this before, and if Severus was slightly disapproving, Remus was even more so. "There is one such Death Eater who only stays by the Dark Lord's side out of fear. He's not strictly Inner-Circle, but he's often close to the Dark Lord. We also have an advantage over him; a Life Debt."

"Wormtail," Harry growled, finally realizing who his father was referring to. "How could we use his Life Debt to me?"

"We invoke the Debt and use it to get information out of him. This may be a long shot, but his proximity to the Dark Lord and his history of being an eavesdropper and traitor suggest he could know important information," Lucius explained.

"Is that the proper way to invoke a Life Debt?" Hermione asked, her expression just as disapproving as Remus', though there was a hint of curiosity, as was always the case with Hermione.

"A Life Debt is just that; when someone saves or spares your life, a bond is formed. The person owing the Debt must repay the favour, either with their life or with some other form of sacrifice. Certain information about the Dark Lord and his followers could very well lead to saving Mr. Potter's life. Therefore, the Life Debt would be rightfully paid."

"So Wormtail would not be literally paying with his life, just giving you information?" Ron asked. He was usually very quiet during these meetings, and while most people thought he was just bored, Harry knew he was thinking quite deeply. Ron was a strategist, through and through.

"His life would be forfeit to Harry. After we invoked the Debt and got all the information out of him we could, it would be up to Harry what to do with his life. He could end it, just by saying he wanted his life in return, or he could choose to release Peter from the confines of the Debt, now that it has been paid. Either way, he would be at the mercy of Harry's decision, which is why I think this is a bad idea," Remus said firmly, glaring across the table at Lucius, who was obviously the one to suggest this plan.

Harry had gone pale at Remus' explanation. He wasn't sure if he could handle being in control of someone else's life; he could hardly handle his own! He had spared Wormtail's life once because that's what he thought his father would have wanted, but the bastard had escaped and was the reason Voldemort came back a year later. Could he let the man go a second time, or would that be betraying his birth parents? Could he kill a man, let his life simply end?

"I hate him for what he did to Mum and Dad, but I don't know if I can do that," Harry admitted, calming down a little as Draco took his hand and gave it a squeeze. He was glad to have the blonde by his side.

"This will be up to you, Harry, as you're the one owed the Life Debt. Only you can invoke it," Severus explained, still with that apologetic look. It was clear he thought the idea had merit; he just wished Harry didn't have to make such a hard decision. His son had enough to worry about.

"Can I have some time to think about it?"

"Of course."

The meeting broke up soon after, but people lingered around for a while, catching up and discussing the topics that had been brought up. Hermione and Ron were off in a corner together whispering frantically together. Harry watched from the other side of the room as Hermione drew herself up and marched over to Tonks, who followed her out of the room after Hermione's request for a word. Ron met Harry's eyes from beside Charlie and gave him a worried look. Harry tried to smile reassuringly, but he was feeling a little stressed himself.

"Harry? Are you alright love?" Draco asked quietly as he wrapped an arm around Harry's waist.

Harry smiled genuinely at his boyfriend and leaned in for a quick, warm kiss. He could always count on Draco to give him some support when he felt like he was starting to lose it. "Yeah, I just have a lot to think about."

Draco kissed him again, then leaned close to Harry's ear, his warm breath causing Harry to shiver pleasantly. "Want me to help take your mind off things for a bit?" he asked, nipping playfully at Harry's earlobe.

Harry smirked as goose pimples broke out across his arms. He pulled away from Draco before they attracted too much attention in the still crowded basement kitchen. "Yeah, I want you to."

* * *

**A/N:** Again. I apologize for the horribly long wait! Please review and let me know what you think, and I'll try much harder to get the next one out a little quicker!


	50. Life Debt

**A/N: **As always, I'm terribly sorry for the wait! I try to get these out in a reasonable amount of time, but sometimes it just isn't possible. I hope you guys are enjoying the story! The end is coming up very quickly. The third anniversary of Never Alone passed just a few days ago! I feel like my baby is growing up *tear*. Another milestone was hit as well: Never Alone has officially hit more than 700 pages! Enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

* * *

**Ch 50.  
Life Debt**

When Harry and Draco entered the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, they were greeted with the sight and sound of Molly slamming around pots and pans while muttering to herself. Ron was sitting at the table looking utterly terrified while Tonks and Charlie were looking chagrined.

Harry sat down cautiously, trying to discern the problem from Ron's frantic looks, but before he could interpret any of them, Molly had turned suddenly on him and Draco.

"One of the many good things about being a homosexual is the fact that you can't get each other pregnant! Thank you for being the responsible ones here! Seventeen years old is _not_ old enough to start a family; you lot are still babies yourselves!"

Harry was giving Ron a bewildered look as Draco tried to stifle his laughter in his napkin. Charlie blushed as Tonks snorted beside him. As serious as the situation could be, it was hard not to find Molly's ranting just a little amusing.

"Mum, I doubt Harry and Draco had anything to do with it," Charlie said earnestly to try to calm his mother down.

"No, that was all _your_ doing, wasn't it? _'Let's get the children drunk and watch them all fall over each other'_! It was Harry's birthday party! Weren't Ginny and Neville supposed to be keeping an eye on everyone, making sure nothing stupid happened? What were you all _thinking?_"

The kitchen door swung open slowly and Hermione was ushered in by Aurora, whose flowing summer robes accentuated the small bump of her abdomen. Everyone stayed silent as Hermione sat beside Ron and took his hand into hers.

"Molly, I think perhaps you should lighten up a little. They're not exactly children anymore, and they need to make their own mistakes in order to learn important lessons. Think of what you got up to at seventeen," Aurora suggested gently as she sent Hermione a warm smile and a short nod.

"The spell came out negative. I'm not pregnant," Hermione said quietly. Ron gripped her hand fiercely and looked about ready to pass out from relief. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a hug, whispering in her ear.

Molly looked as though she wanted to rant again about learning lessons and being irresponsible, but the kitchen door swung open once more and in flowed Kingsley, Mad-Eye, Lucius, Severus and Remus. Harry felt his stomach drop and pushed his half eaten breakfast away.

"Harry, Lucius and I think we've come up with a plan. All we need now is your decision," said Severus, who was trying to ignore the cool look his husband sent him as everyone else took seats around the table and accepted cups of tea from Molly.

Harry swallowed thickly and looked around the room, very aware of all the stares directed at him. "Can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Harry asked his father quietly. He had thought a great deal about the Life Debt over night, so much that he had hardly slept. He gave a sigh of slight relief as his father nodded and led him up into the entrance hall so they could speak alone.

"I know this is very stressful and unpleasant, but this could be our only way of gaining the upper hand. I really wish you didn't have to be involved in this part at all; you have enough to worry about with the Horcruxes. It does not mean immediate death for Pettigrew, but you will have control over his life. You can choose to let him go and run the risk of him running straight back, or you can forfeit his life, make sure he can never betray you again and finally get revenge for Lily and James. You would not have to cast the killing curse or anything like that; you'd only have to say you wish his life forfeit."

"I can't do that, Dad. I hate him, but I can't just kill him – it isn't right. I don't want to have to kill anyone, not even Voldemort. I'll release him from the Debt, but we can't allow him to go back; that would defeat the purpose of this entire mission. I think we should turn him in."

Severus' expression turned sour as he crossed him arms over his chest. "That way that mutt Black will be cleared of all charges, correct? I suppose that would be the best idea…"

Harry sighed heavily and stepped closer to his father, wrapping his arms around the man despite his stiff stature. "No one can ever bring him back, but if I can get his name cleared, then that's the least I could do. I owe it to him, to Mum and Dad. Don't think it makes me love you any less; I could never."

Severus relaxed after a few more seconds of the forced hug and wrapped his arms around the teen clinging to him. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss atop the messy black hair, feeling extremely lucky to be able to cherish this boy when so many others who had loved him could not. "I love you too, Harry."

S~S~S~S

"So you're going to be under Polyjuice potion the entire time, right?" Harry asked for the twentieth time after his father and Lucius had explained the plan to him. At first, he immediately objected; he did not want his father walking into danger like that again so soon after his near-death experience. He voted for Lucius to go in on his own, but that caused Draco to throw a fit and yell at Harry for being a selfish bastard. Harry knew he deserved it, but he was terrified of losing Severus.

"_Yes_, Harry. I promise; we've been over this plan numerous times. The danger is slight – not great. We know where he is, how to get in, and how to get back out. Because we're not going during a summoning, there's very little chance that we'll even encounter the Dark Lord at all. Do you understand?" Severus asked, his teeth clenched as he tried to keep his temper in check. He could only explain the plan so many times before it became tedious, and it was becoming so.

"Don't snap at him, Severus. He's just worried," Remus admonished, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he sat on the other side of Harry, as opposed to sitting beside his husband. It was clear that there had been another disagreement of some sort.

The Potions Master turned sharply to the werewolf and gave him a withering look, one that would certainly never betray that he was actually married to the man. "I understand that, Remus, but I can only reassure him so many times. We are running out of time, and I cannot continue to coddle him if we want this done sometime this century."

"_He_ is sitting right next to both of you, so would you kindly stop talking about me as though I'm not here? I'm sorry, I _am_ worried, and I don't really like anything about this plan at all, but I know there's not really any other choice, so I'm going along with it. Will you stop fighting now, _please_?" Harry asked earnestly. He had thought the conflict between his parents had been over, but apparently he was mistaken. It seemed as though one wrong word set their fury at each other off again, and it was stressing Harry even further. What if this damn war tore his parents apart? They had a baby on the way, for Merlin's sake!

Severus just sneered and looked away while Remus frowned apologetically at Harry, gripping his shoulder momentarily before looking back towards Lucius to finish going over the plan a final time before it was to be implemented. "Please, go on."

Lucius looked between the members of Harry's amassed family with some trepidation before glancing back down at the parchment in front of him and clearing his throat. Draco had not come back after yelling at Harry and storming out. "After we have Pettigrew in hand, we'll apparate no less than six times to throw off any sort of tracing spell before taking him to Spinner's End. Once there, the Debt must be invoked and the potion imbibed before we question him at all. I will not believe a thing he says unless he's coerced into telling the truth."

"Neither will I. I just have to invoke the Debt, that's all? I can do that…" Harry acquiesced. He still felt wary of this plan; he knew something was going to go wrong, he could feel it.

"Is everyone in agreement, then? Remus, you'll still wait at Spinner's End with Harry, I assume?" Severus asked icily, his words delivered with the intent to insult.

"Of course I will. My concern in this whole matter happens to be our son, in case you forgot his part in it being somewhat traumatic."

"How _dare_ you suggest –"

"_Stop it!_ Stop it or I'll refuse to go along with this at all! You two need to figure out what this animosity between you is and get over it already. In case _both_ of you failed to notice, this is a war we're fighting, and in case you _forgot_, you have a damn baby on the way! You're both acting more childish than when Draco and I fight. Now I'm going to go calmly speak with my boyfriend and resolve our own fight. I suggest the two of you do the same."

Harry stalked out of the kitchen, fuming at his parents for being so ridiculous. He had not seen them act so nasty towards each other since his third year, and it was tearing him up inside. He found Draco in their room, sitting with his back against the headboard and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Took you bloody long enough," Draco drawled as he opened his arms and allowed Harry to fall into his embrace. He stroked the messy hair away from Harry's forehead and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. I hate all this shite. Why does it have to be me?"

"I dunno, love. I wish it weren't."

S~S~S~S

In the basement kitchen, the silence was thick and stifling. Lucius had excused himself after Harry's outburst, having no desire to be caught in the midst of some lover's quarrel. Remus had almost stalked out and left Severus alone as well, but Harry's words had hit him harder than he had expected. He was right; this was war and things were bound to be difficult. He had to learn to deal with the things he did not like or agree with in some other way. As Harry had also pointed out, he and Severus were about to be parents again. They couldn't keep this quick to anger thing up if they wanted to keep their family intact. The thought of arranging a custody case over the unborn child nearly sent Remus into a panic, and spurred him into speech.

"He's right, you know. Our son is far more mature than we give him credit for."

"Now you're speaking to me? It takes Harry yelling at us for you to finally get over this silent treatment? Let me remind you that you were the one who refused to speak to me after agreeing to Lucius' plan. You've been so quick to jump on my back lately. Why? What the hell did I do to make you despise me so much all of the sudden?" Severus asked desperately, hating the way his voice had an edge of pleading in it. He was tired of feeling like he had to make up for things, tired of always defending himself against someone who was supposed to love him unconditionally.

Remus scrubbed his hands down his tired face, feeling the stubble that had grown sparsely across his cheeks and chin in the last few days. He knew both Harry and Severus were right, but he was terrified of telling Severus the real reason he had been so tightly strung lately.

"This plan brings back a lot of memories I prefer never to recall again. The distrust that Lily and James had for me at the end of their lives, believing me to be the traitor, the way Sirius would look at me, as though I was the scum of the earth…it was all Peter's fault. I hate him with a passion so fierce, he is the only living being besides Voldemort himself that I would gladly tear limb from fucking limb during the full moon. Harry has decided to turn Peter in, which means that Sirius' name will be cleared, and he'll finally get the peace he deserves. You know I love you, Severus, but there are some things I cannot make my heart stop feeling."

"You still love him."

Remus stared at Severus for so long, he was sure the man would walk out on him for being tactless and not responding in the negative straight away. What could he say to that? Of course he still loved Sirius; he always would. That did not mean he didn't love Severus too, or that he loved him any less.

"Yes, I do. But that does not make me incapable of loving you too. Sirius was my first love, but he's gone, and he's not coming back. I've accepted that. But the possibility of his name being cleared is opening up old wounds that I thought had healed. You're right; I've been quick to snap at you and be angry with you, when it's really myself I'm angry with. I'm sorry, Severus."

"Can we please be done with this fighting nonsense then, because I miss you terribly," Severus said quietly, staring at his entwined fingers sitting atop the kitchen table.

Remus stood and coaxed the Potions Professor out of his chair as well before pulling him tightly to his chest. He sighed heavily as he felt complete once more, holding his lover in his arms. "I've missed you too, love," Remus whispered into the man's mane of raven hair before pulling away to kiss him, gently at first, then with growing passion. They became lost in the kiss until the basement door flew open and banged against the opposite wall, shocking them apart.

They were greeted with Aurora's glowing face, as well as a pink glowing abdomen, both of them slightly worried about the ecstatic look on her face. She looked slightly crazed, if not extremely happy.

"It's a girl! We're having a little girl!"

S~S~S~S

Everyone gathered around the table had eyes only for the glowing mother-to-be. Remus had his hand flat on her protruding belly, waiting for the inevitable small kick she said she had begun to feel recently. Severus was resisting Remus' efforts to make him do the same, but his grimace was cancelled out by the smile reflected in his dark eyes.

Harry was gibbering on with Draco about themes for a baby shower and whether or not having a gender-neutral room was a good idea until the baby was actually born and proven to be a girl. "It's magic, Harry; the baby is definitely a girl!"

Molly was sharing stories about her own pregnancies, much to all of her children's chagrin, and Tonks' amusement as Molly told the story of how she had wished Charlie was a girl so much, she used to dress him in dresses as a little boy.

Hermione just smiled and laughed along with everyone else, her butterbeer hardly touched as she stared at the wall, obviously lost in thought. Ron could see she was not really paying attention to anything, however. Her laugh was only half sincere and her smiles never reached her eyes. As Aurora and Remus exclaimed excitedly as the baby gave a kick, Hermione's eyes became over-bright, and she stared down into her half-eaten lunch instead.

"Alright, 'Mione?" Ron asked quietly as he leaned towards her and gripped her shoulder. He wasn't the best at comforting anyone, but his girlfriend was obviously struggling with something.

With a deep sigh, Hermione's shoulders slumped as she leaned into Ron's side. She met his blue eyes and felt some of her sadness melt away as he grinned at her. "Is it stupid of me to be disappointed? We're not ready for a baby, but I can't lie; for a second, I really wanted it to be true."

Ron looked around carefully to make sure no one was eavesdropping. This was probably a conversation best had alone, but he didn't want to create a scene by dragging Hermione out of the kitchen. "I did too. But you're right, we're not ready, and especially not during a war. But when the time is right, I can't wait to have a baby with you."

Hermione's melancholy shell seemed to crack under the loving gaze Ron fixed her with. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a short kiss, snuggling her head into the crease between his neck and shoulder. "I love you, Ron Weasley."

"I love you too, Hermione Granger," Ron whispered before placing a gentle kiss on Hermione's forehead. He was glad he finally got over his fight with Harry and got Hermione back. He couldn't imagine a future without this wonderful woman by his side.

On the other side of the kitchen, Harry smiled as Draco wrapped an arm around him and gave him a chaste kiss. He was nervous about the plan for later that day, but for right now, he made himself forget anything but his friends and family, and for once, he felt like a normal kid.

"Do you think they'll make good parents?"

"They already are."

Draco gave Harry a look and bumped his hip playfully. "You know what I mean. You're a teenager; neither one of them has had to deal with an infant yet. I think Remus will be just fine, but Sev I'm not so sure about."

"I think having a baby with work wonders on his temperament, actually. Nothing calms people down quite like an adorable little baby."

"Yes, but nothing sets off Sev's wrath quite like screaming children," Draco pointed out. He knew his godfather had been around him as a baby, but he never had to be with Draco twenty-four/seven as a child. Raising a child was completely different than being around sometimes.

Harry cocked his head to the side as he watched his father finally stretch out his hand and place it so gently on Aurora's stomach it looked as though it was only just hovering above the small bump. Her dark skinned hand came down and pressed his hand firmer against the bump, and for a second, there was no reaction. Then, suddenly, the most beautiful thing happened. The Potions Master jolted, his eyes going wide as Aurora held his hand to her tummy, and then a broad smile stretched across his usually expressionless face. He let out a soft laugh on an exhale, looking up to meet Remus' eyes, which looked bright, but so full of happiness that it was almost contagious.

Harry felt his own eyes become moist as he leaned his head on Draco's shoulder, smiling at the scene before him. He knew his parents would be just fine when his new baby sister came into the world. "Severus will be an amazing father. He already is. That little girl will steal his heart faster than even Remus did."

S~S~S~S

After the celebratory lunch in honour of finding out the newest member of the Snape family was to be a girl, Lucius, Severus, Remus and Harry all flooed to Severus' old family home, which hadn't been lived in nor taken care of in quite a long time. Lucius and Severus were dosed with Polyjuice and put on their Death Eater robes and masks for the first time in a long time, and hopefully the last time.

"Please be careful," Remus asked as he hugged his husband one more time, despite the fact that the man was wearing someone else's likeness.

"We will be. Like we planned before; if we're not back in an hour, go back to Headquarters and inform Kingsley of where we went, alright?"

Remus nodded, hoping he would not have to fulfil that portion of the plan. That was their plan B, the emergency plan, should things go pear shaped quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too, both of you. See you soon." And then they were gone.

Harry sat heavily on the recently dust covered sofa and patted the seat next to him for Remus to take. "How did they get the hairs for the Polyjuice potion?" Harry thought to ask. He had gone along with the Polyjuice plan quickly and gladly, as long as it kept his father safe, but he never really thought about how they were going to turn themselves into lesser Death Eaters.

"Have you ever heard of a Blackmail Box?" Remus asked, upon Harry's negative shake of his head, Remus launched into the explanation of a Blackmail Box. Though they were Dark in nature and Remus didn't much like the idea of them, he couldn't argue that they were useful.

"A Blackmail Box is a box charmed to keep the hair, blood, saliva, or any other bodily fluids of any witch or wizard fresh and potent. Most Pureblood families have one of these. They surreptitiously collect these things from friends and enemies alike on the off chance that they should ever need to incriminate someone. It's Dark magic of course, but can be very useful, as we're well aware of now. Lucky that Lucius thought to bring along such a thing when he went to fetch the Cartus Animarum."

Harry grimaced as he twirled his wand in his hand, trying to keep himself busy so he didn't focus on where his father was at that very moment. "That's disturbing. The Malfoys _would_ have something like that, though. I wonder if Lucius has anything of Voldemort's in the box."

Remus made a face and shuddered at the very idea. "Perish the thought, Harry. I would not want to know how Lucius could have acquired any one of those things from Voldemort."

"It's not like he has any hair," Harry pointed out quite seriously. There was a second of silence before both him and Remus burst out laughing, clutching onto each other as the stress and worry all momentarily melted away into fits of giggles.

"Oh, Harry, how I love you," Remus sighed as he wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulders and pulled him comfortably against his side.

"I love you too, Moony. Have you and Dad thought of baby names yet?"

"We've messed with the idea a little, yes. Now that we know the baby is a girl, we can start trying to pick out a name. Do you have name ideas?"

"I like Ophelia. I think it's pretty," Harry said, smiling broadly at the thought of having a baby sister. He had been so excited when he heard the baby was a girl that he had nearly done flips, but settled on jumping up and down and pumping his fist in the air, a move worthy of Ron.

"Severus has mentioned Ophelia as well. What do you think of Rêve?"

"I like that too. Does it mean anything?"

Remus smiled and nodded. It had been a while since he had been able to talk candidly to Harry, and he had missed the boy. "Yes. It means dream in French. Did you know I was born in France? I can even speak French."

"You can? I've never heard you!"

"Je t'aime mon fils. Je suis tellement fier de toi."

Harry grinned and gave Remus a bewildered look. "Well…what did you say?"

Remus smiled and lifted his wand, summoning a book from one of the dusty shelves lining the walls of Severus' old home. He blew across the front of it, removing the dust to reveal the title: _French for Beginners_. "Translate it yourself. It'll help pass the time."

Harry scowled playfully as he took the book and flipped through the pages. "You're going to have to repeat what you said; my memory isn't that good."

And so they passed the time translating French phrases, some of them amusing for the benefit of distracting themselves from why they were really there. It was almost forty minutes later when the wards around the house dinged to warn of approaching guests. Harry sat the book gently aside as Remus rubbed his back comfortingly. This was it. They both stood as the lock clicked and the door swung open.

"The counter potion, Remus," Severus said as Lucius directed what appeared to be nothing to lie on the grubby rug in front of the hearth. Both Lucius and Severus drank the vials of counter potion that Remus provided, the potion stripping the Polyjuice from their systems and returning them to their natural states.

Harry sighed in relief, and before he realized what he was doing, he was wrapping his father in a tight hug. He heard Remus casting extra wards around the house to ensure that no one and nothing disrupted this meeting. When he pulled away from the Potions Master, he saw Peter Pettigrew curled in on himself, petrified on the carpet.

"Are you ready, Harry?"

"As I'll ever be."

Severus pointed his wand at the pathetic man prostrated on the floor, and with one last sneer, said, "_Rennervate_."

Wormtail blinked rapidly and looked around, his head shooting up as he seemed to realize he was in immediate danger. He stood quickly, his stubby legs quaking as they struggled to hold his considerable weight up after being attacked so unexpectedly and made to stay in an uncomfortable position for almost twenty minutes.

The man crouched before them was still twitchy and nervous as ever, his pointed features and short stature still very reminiscent of the rat he pretended to be for twelve long years. Harry flinched when Lucius kicked the back of the man's knees, causing him to fall painfully to the floor. Harry told himself not to feel sorry for this poor excuse for a man, the person who had betrayed his birth parents and nearly caused his own death, but it was so easy to pity something so pathetic.

"Please, _please_ don't kill me! Harry, you spared me once before, have mercy!"

"Silence! You're not to even look at my son, do you hear me? You have no right!" Severus snapped, only held back from kicking the vermin in the face by his husband's restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Moony, please! You know I didn't want to do it, you have to believe me!"

Remus let go of Severus' shoulder and took a step closer to the cowering man. His emotions were going wild, but the most prominent was betrayal. "I lost all three of my best friends because of you. You sold out James and Lily, and you sent Sirius to Azkaban. He was never the same – _never_. How could you sit there and claim innocence, beg me to spare your life, when you couldn't do the same for our friends? You showed no mercy to the people who called you friend, so why the hell should I? You owe it to James and Lily's son, _my_ son, to shut up and cooperate. You owe Harry a Life Debt, and he intends to take you up on it now. I agreed to come because I want answers – we need information. After we get what we want, I could care less what Lucius does with you."

Remus had bent down to look into the man's eyes as he shamed him, and he could see the pain etched into his onetime friend's face, but he didn't care. He deserved it. "And don't you _ever_ call me Moony again. I only let my friends and family refer to me as such."

Peter's head dropped in shame and remorse as he gave a pitiful sob. The noise was at once heart wrenching and music to their ears; Pettigrew deserved whatever pain he was currently feeling. Watery eyes looked up and made contact first with Remus', then with Harry's.

"I'll give you what you want; you don't have to force my hand, but if calling in the Life Debt will make you believe me, then do it. You're right, Remus; I owe James and Lily and Sirius for what I did to them. I will fulfil the Debt I owe Harry. I _want _to help."

"Forgive us if we don't take your words at face value, Peter. We'll be calling in the Life Debt as well as using Veritaserum," Remus explained as he conjured a chair to chain Peter to. They were taking no chances this time; Peter would not escape again.

"I don't know what you think you're going to get from me, but I'll cooperate," said Peter as he allowed Severus to wrap a chain thrice around his midsection and the chair, securing him to it.

Lucius stepped forward, his cane making a dull thunk on the ground as he sneered down at the snivelling man. He'd seen this despicable creature do every heinous thing the Dark Lord had ever requested of him. Peter Pettigrew was the epitome of the worst kind of lap dog.

"We need everything you know, Wormtail. I don't believe the Dark Lord would confide in you necessarily, but as his personal servant, you spend quite a lot of time around him. Surely you've overheard something of importance. The problem is determining if anything you heard was in fact of any importance at all. If there is anything you _know_ is important, I'd suggest divulging that information first," said Lucius. He had a mad twinkling in his eyes that made Peter tremble uncontrollably.

Harry was staying quiet, not quite approving or disapproving of the situation so far. Though he agreed that capturing Pettigrew was a good idea, he wasn't sure if the snivelling man would in fact have anything valuable to reveal. He wasn't getting his hopes up, just in case Pettigrew was as worthless as Harry suspected.

"There is one thing," Wormtail whispered after the chains around his legs were secured. Severus was standing in front of him now, the vial of Veritaserum uncorked and ready for consumption.

"Wait until the Debt and potion have kicked in so that we know you aren't trying to pull the wool over our eyes," the Potions Master insisted with a sneer. He wasn't about to fall for any simpering tall tales in order to spare the wretched man before him.

When everything was ready, Remus pulled Harry gently forward to face the coward who sold his parents out to the darkest wizard of their age. His expression went from apprehensive to angry as he thought of all the years he had suffered with the Dursleys when he could have been with his loving parents. This man's cowardice had forfeit the lives of the people who were once the centre of Harry's world, and no matter how pathetic or apologetic this vile man tried to be, Harry could _never_ forgive him.

"Hold out your hand, Harry, and repeat the spell we talked about before."

Harry took a deep breath and extended his hand, as if to shake the hand of the Death Eater before him. The spell to invoke a Life Debt was simpler than Harry had expected it to be. Instead of long Latin phrases that twisted the tongue and jumbled in his mind, a simple English intonation would compel the one who owed such a debt to fulfil it.

"I invoke the debt owed to me by Peter Pettigrew in return for sparing his life."

Wormtail, who was slumped down in his seat waiting for the inevitable, suddenly perked up at Harry's words. He leaned forward as far as the semi-slack chains would allow and extended his hand so that it slipped into Harry's own, and gave a firm shake. A faint white light lit their joined hands before fading away. As soon as the spell took effect, Harry jerked his hand away and took a step back.

Severus moved forward with the Veritaserum and instead of allowing the rat-like man to feed himself the potion, which was still possible because his bonds were not all that tight on his arms, he took no chances and placed the lip of the glass vial to the dry and cracked lips of the Death Eater. He tipped the vial forward as the man, willingly or not, was compelled to part his lips and allow the potion to be poured across his parched tongue and slide down his throat. He swallowed every last drop, and the familiar vacant expression spread across his face.

"What is your name?"

"Peter Antonio Pettigrew."

Remus was writing everything down, as well as overlooking a self-recording quill, while Severus and Lucius ran the questioning. Harry was allowed to interject with his own questions at any point if he felt the need to. So far, he felt no need.

"What form does your Animagus ability take?"

"A common garden rat," Peter droned in a dull voice, only his jaw moving up and down in a parody of a ventriloquist dummy.

"Why did you learn how to become an Animagus?" Lucius asked, which surprised everyone else in the room besides Peter, who stared ahead at nothing in particular. Did Lucius himself know the true reasoning? Of course he knew Remus was a werewolf, but did he know that Peter, James, and Sirius had only studied to become Animagi specifically for him?

"I learned to be an Animagus to accompany Remus in his werewolf form during the full moon when we attended Hogwarts. Mostly my form was useful because I was small enough to dodge the branches of the Whomping Willow and press the knot in the centre to allow James and Sirius into the tunnel that led to the Shrieking Shack where Remus would transform."

"I think that's enough confirmation of who you are, Peter. You said you had something important to tell us; go ahead," Severus instructed, glancing back at Remus to makes sure he was writing everything down.

"I heard this information from behind a closed door; the Dark Lord was alone and does not know I overheard him talking to himself that night. Nagini was the only living creature with him at the time; I know because I was called in soon after by way of menacing hissing from the blasted snake as it curled around my legs. I don't really understand what the information means, but it sounded important."

Harry was practically bursting with curiosity now. Peter had built it up so far, Harry had an odd feeling he was about to find out something both wonderful and terrible all at once. Whatever it was, Harry hoped it was useful. He was tired of feeling like he was in some stalemate. He was at a crossroads when it came to the Horcruxes now; once he had all of them in his possession, he could focus solely on finding a way to destroy them. Until then, he let others explore the possibilities, which was both a blessing and a curse.

He felt bad that he was shirking his duties, so to speak, but he was also glad for the help and support from his friends and family. As much as Harry had wanted to follow Dumbledore's advice and only tell Ron and Hermione about the Horcruxes, that just wasn't plausible. They didn't have time to play games and keep secrets, sneaking around and being deceitful. They needed to do whatever they could to get rid of Voldemort quickly, and for that, Harry needed help.

"Go on, Peter," Remus encouraged, his gentle voice seeming to calm Peter considerably as the trembling man became still and sat straighter.

"The Dark Lord was speaking of sacrifice. He said he could sacrifice one if it meant saving the others," Peter said quietly, his eyes staring unnervingly into Harry's beryl emerald eyes.

"Did the Dark Lord say what it is he is trying to keep safe, what he's willing to sacrifice?" Severus asked as he gave Harry a reassuring look as the teen fidgeted in discomfort at the scrutiny he suddenly found himself under from Pettigrew.

"I believe he called them Horcruxes. He said one was not a high price to pay in order to save the others."

There was a tense silence as the four other men in the room shared wary yet excited looks. Were they about to find out what one of the Horcruxes was? Had Voldemort already sacrificed one and destroyed a piece of his own soul?

Severus sat forward and drew Peter's attention away from Harry and onto himself. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to hear something he may not like. "Did the Dark Lord say specifically what he was going to sacrifice? Did he mention an object or a location, perhaps?"

"Harry Potter," Peter whispered, his eyes back on Harry, who felt his heart jump into his throat and then plummet down to his toes in less than a second.

"M-me?" Harry croaked, his heart pounding so hard he could hear the blood rushing in his ears.

"What do you mean, Wormtail? What about Potter?" Lucius asked, since Severus and Remus were both going through similar internal battles as their son at Peter's words.

"He said the boy needed to die, that he could sacrifice that Horcrux because Harry is a threat. _'Potter must die; Horcrux or not.'_"

Harry stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating. His world fell apart; the sky was falling, up was down and left was right. Everything Harry had ever known suddenly exploded into billions of pieces as every cataclysmic event Harry had ever feared amassed into one and royally fucked his world up. He looked up at his parents, who were wearing similar horrified expressions, and uttered the words that would haunt his dreams for a long time to come.

"I'm a Horcrux."

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know…cliff hangers are dangerous for my health, as you all seem to want to kill me when I leave them. I had to! That was just the natural ending for this chapter! I'll try to get the next chapter out in less than a month, but I make no guarantees. Life can get in the way sometimes. PLEASE review and let me know what you think so far. It's always nice to get the reviews that say 'Please update soon!', but I need more feedback, more concrete opinions and even suggestions if you have them! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed; you keep me writing!

**P.S.** Remus' French phrase: "I love you my son. I am so proud of you."

**UPDATE:** The French has been fixed. I apologize for any more mistakes. French is not my strong suit lol. Perhaps I should stick to English.


	51. Downward Spiral

**A/N: **Ahem…yeah, no excuses for the wait. This story has been giving me a LOT of trouble, and I just can't seem to get back into the swing of things to finish it! Don't worry; I'm still working on it. I'll never abandon this story, even if it takes me another 3 years to finish it, although I really hope not!

**WARNING:** _Thoughts of self-harm._ From this point on, there may be some _VERY_ triggering things to some readers. I apologize for that, but this is the way the story was heading since I started it. Some of this chapter and almost all of the next two were written a really long time ago, and I can't really change the plot this far in. Please try to bear with me and don't abandon this story!

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**Ch 51.  
Downward Spiral**

Without knowing where the loo was, Harry's first instinct was to run out the front door and immediately wretch amongst the weeds and foliage to the side of the house. He heaved until he couldn't anymore, and then heaved some more. Harry jumped as he felt a hand smooth down his back and a quiet voice murmuring in his ear that everything was going to be ok. He quickly went from physically ill and horrified to indignant and beyond angry. How dare someone try to tell him that everything was going to be ok? Did they just find out they had a piece of Voldemort's soul living in them? Nothing was ok!

Harry didn't realize he had screamed his last thought out loud at Remus, who was trying to comfort him. The hand disappeared and then was replaced by a larger, warmer hand that snaked to his shoulder and pulled him around against a chest that smelt of herbs and sandalwood; his father.

"I know you're upset right now, Harry, but we _will_ figure this out. I promise you. I will not let any harm come to you," Severus said quietly but firmly as he steered his son back into the dilapidated old house and over to the sofa.

"You can't promise me that. We can't even figure out how to destroy the Horcruxes in inanimate objects, how the hell are we supposed to destroy the one in me without destroying me too?"

"We'll find a way, Harry. Even if it kills me, I will find a way to remove the Horcrux without having to sacrifice you in the process. That is not an option. Please calm down, son. We need to get back to Headquarters," Severus said, his last comment directed more towards Remus than Harry. He glanced over his shoulder at Lucius, who had stupefied Pettigrew in Harry's panic.

"We need his decision first, Severus. This was part of the plan, he can't ignore it now because he received some upsetting news," Lucius pointed out, grimacing at the slumped over form of the Death Eater before him. For someone who had very recently been the man's comrade, Lucius certainly seemed to harbour a great amount of dislike for Wormtail.

Harry was staring at the man who had sold his parents out to Voldemort, the way his still plump body contradictorily looked wasted and frail. He felt a sense of pity for this man, but that did not curb his anger. He wouldn't be a killer, but he would also not set his parents' dooms-bringer free again. Harry stood and approached the man, waving his wand to awaken Wormtail once more. Clasping the older man's pudgy hand in his own shaking hand, Harry spoke firmly.

"I release you from the Life Debt owed to me, without the forfeit of your life. I ask that you willingly turn yourself in to the Ministry and take the punishment that you rightfully deserve, and help to clear Sirius' name of the crimes you committed."

Peter was shaking and whimpering, fat tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. It was unclear if he was glad for the gift of keeping his life, or mourning the fact that he would spend the rest of that miserable life in Azkaban as per Harry's request as a condition of releasing him from the Life Debt.

"I will do all of those things," Peter croaked, his fingers clenching involuntarily around Harry's smaller, youthful fingers. His regret and remorse for all of the pain he had caused this poor child surged through him, and he met the greenest eyes he had ever seen aside from Lily's. "I'm so sorry…"

Harry stepped away from the pathetic man, dropping his hand as if he was diseased. Still holding the older man's gaze, he set his mouth in a tight line. "I don't forgive you, and I never will. I hope that guilt eats you alive until the day you die."

Remus has pulled Harry even further from the man, pulling him against his chest and he felt a pang of sadness for the obvious hatred Harry had for this traitorous man. They would have to have a talk about grudges and anger soon. "Come, Harry. Let's go home."

"I'll make sure this scum makes it directly to the Ministry. You all go on back to Headquarters. You've been away from the protection for too long already," said Lucius, training his wand on Wormtail once more. He muttered a spell that sounded nothing like Latin and gave a horrible smirk. "That'll keep you from transforming – _ever again_."

S~S~S~S

As soon as Harry, Remus and Severus got back to Grimmauld Place, Draco latched onto Harry, asking questions, smoothing down his messy hair and kissing him. A sense of claustrophobic panic swept over Harry, and before he realized what he was doing, he pushed Draco away and ran to their shared room, locking himself inside.

His breathing was shallow and rapid as he threw himself onto his bed. He couldn't think about anything but the fact that somewhere inside of him, a piece of Voldemort lurked, poisoning his very being. He was impure, tainted, diseased, and unclean. Harry had never felt like such a stranger in his own skin before.

What felt like hours later, there was a gentle knock on the door. Harry ignored it, expecting that it was a very offended Draco, coming to ask him more questions he had no desire to answer. A loud click resounded in the room as someone used an unlocking spell on the door, the hinges creaking and whining as the door slowly opened.

"Harry? What's wrong? Draco is horribly upset; he thinks you hate him. Professor Snape said you've had a massive shock, but he wouldn't tell us any more than that. Are you ok?" Hermione's gentle voice came closer, and Harry felt the edge of the bed dip as she sat down beside him.

"He's inside me," Harry croaked after a long silence. His voice sounded dead and void of emotion, not betraying the vast pool of utter pain, horror and self-disgust flooding through the Gryffindor.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione in a shaking voice. It was almost as though she already knew, but was afraid to ask for confirmation of her suspicions. Harry wouldn't doubt it. Smartest witch of her age, indeed.

"I'm tainted. I've been putting you all in greater danger than anyone's ever realized. Parseltongue, the visions, the odd emotions – they're all because there's a piece of Voldemort inside of me."

There was a loud gasp as Hermione's petite hand settled on his shoulder. "Oh Harry…Does this mean you're a –"

"– Horcrux. I'm a Horcrux." As soon as Harry uttered that horrible admission, Draco entered the room to hear it.

"What? Harry, you can't be serious!" Draco gasped, his already pale skin tinged with grey as he swayed in the doorway. He had been worried sick about Harry, angry that he had not been allowed to go along as moral support. When they returned and Harry brushed him off, Draco had been stung, but now he understood why.

"Wormtail was under Veritaserum and the power of the Life Debt. It has to be true. We've been spending all this time looking for the Horcruxes, and here I've been, a Horcrux in disguise."

"Look Harry, we'll find a way to remove it. There has to be a way to exorcise the piece of soul. It'll be alright," Hermione tried to reassure her friend, gently rubbing Harry's shoulder as he shuddered beside her. She had hoped that her suspicion would never come true, and had avoided ever bringing it up. She didn't want Harry to have to go through this, but it was too late now. She hoped to Merlin there was a way, and she was damn determined to find it.

Harry laughed humourlessly, giving Hermione tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "That's what everyone keeps saying. If there was a way though, don't you think we would have found it by now? We can't even find a way to destroy the Horcruxes; what are the chances of finding a way to just _remove_ one?"

"We've only been looking for ways to destroy the Horcruxes, not remove them. We could be looking in the wrong places. We _will_ find a way, Harry, I promise. You know we would never let anything happen to you. Nothing has changed, do you hear me? You're still our Harry," Hermione said firmly as she pulled Harry into a tight hug, feeling him shake with suppressed emotion. "In fact, I'm going to start looking now. You need to get some rest; you've had a long day."

After Hermione had left, Draco closed the bedroom door and joined Harry sitting on the edge of their bed. Harry seemed to be avoiding his eyes, staring down at his hands folded in his lap. After what felt like hours, Draco reached over and grasped Harry's hand in his own. It was cold and shaking. "Please look at me, Harry."

Harry gulped as he heard the hurt in Draco's voice. He had not meant to push Draco away, but he couldn't even stand to be in his own skin, let alone punish Draco with his presence. He finally looked up at the blonde as Draco squeezed his hand encouragingly. The Slytherin's eyes were an icy blue-grey, swimming with concern and love. Harry felt his stomach squirm. How could Draco want to be anywhere near him?

"Hermione is right, Harry. We'll find a way. I was so worried about you, sitting in the kitchen driving Molly crazy by rearranging her spice rack alphabetically and by strength in flavour. She almost stunned me when I wouldn't sit down. You know I will always love you, right? No matter what happens Harry, you'll always have my heart. Never doubt that."

Harry bit his lip to keep it from trembling as he blinked back the moisture. No one seemed to realize just how much danger he was putting them in. They were all willing to find a way to fix him. He had never felt quite as loved as he did in that moment, and finally slumped sideways into Draco's arms, sighing in relief as the blonde held him tightly.

"I love you too."

S~S~S~S

The next week was spent with everyone frantically flipping through books in the library. There had been a tense moment when Harry asked what had been done with Pettigrew, but Lucius eventually admitted to dropping him off at the Ministry the night before, where Pettigrew would be forced to confess his crimes against the Potters and the twelve muggle deaths that Sirius had been accused of. At lunch that day, the _Daily Prophet_ ran an exclusive on Peter Pettigrew's rise from the 'dead' and his confessed betrayal of his once close friends. Sirius Black had been cleared of all charges, posthumously.

Remus had taken a little time to himself to come to terms with what would have been Sirius' freedom if the man had been alive. Harry himself was too busy stressing out over the blackness that lived deep inside him to celebrate too much, but had indeed sat quietly in the drawing room in recognition of what he had lost, and how bittersweet justice could be.

"Harry?"

Hermione had snuck quietly into the drawing room, reluctant to bother Harry when she knew he was upset. She had been doing research on Tom Riddle's life, trying to discern what else the mad man may have turned into a Horcrux when she came across a picture of an old orphanage. She looked through her notes from when Harry had explained his forays into the pensieve with Dumbledore and, searching through old _Daily Prophets_, may have figured out where another Horcrux could be hidden.

"Hey Hermione. Have I been gone that long? Sorry, I just needed a minute," Harry said distractedly. In his lap was a very nice black cloak with a filigree clasp. His hands were tangled in the material as he stared at the Black Family tapestry.

Hermione sat down next to the raven haired boy and frowned, noticing the cloak Harry was clinging to. "It's alright. I was just checking on some facts about Tom Riddle when he was younger, and I think I may have come up with another place for a Horcrux, and there's a death that would fit with it."

That got Harry's attention quickly. Even if the Horcrux within himself couldn't be removed so easily, at least there was another he could focus on for the time being. "Where? Have you told my dad and Remus?"

"Not yet. Remus went to take a little time for himself, and then Professor Snape said he was going to check on him. Draco and Ron are in the library still looking up ways to exorcise the Horcrux from you."

"Don't waste time on it anymore. We need to figure out a way to destroy these damn things, or finding them will have done us no good at all," Harry insisted, feeling his stomach squirm at the reminder of what was currently residing in his body at that very moment.

Hermione sighed heavily and clasped Harry's hand with her own, her expression one of mingled understanding and worry. "I told the boys we needed to prioritize and take this one step at a time. I think we should find all of the Horcruxes first, _then_ focus on finding a way to destroy them, including your scar."

Harry instinctively reached up and rubbed a finger across the raised skin of the jagged scar marring his forehead. "My scar?"

"It's just a theory, but I think that's where the Horcrux is. It makes sense when you think of all the ways you were affected mentally by Voldemort's first attempt on your life. The connection between your minds, your ability to speak Parseltongue – all tied into mental abilities."

Harry frowned as he rubbed the scar a bit harder, wishing his could rub the cursed thing away for good. Hermione's theory made entirely too much sense, and it actually explained why his and Voldemort's mind shared such a strong connection. "Well, I guess we'll figure that out later. Let's go find Moony and my Dad so you can tell them what you found."

S~S~S~S

Hermione had four different aged and torn Daily Prophets strewn across one of the long tables in the library, a spell essentially highlighting important information she had discovered. What surprised Harry, though, was the stone pensieve that was so achingly familiar sitting innocently besides the Prophets.

"Where did you find that, Hermione?" Harry asked as he skirted around the pensieve, somehow afraid to touch it because it looked so fragile.

"Dumbledore left it to Professor Snape in his Will, Harry. He also left quite a lot of things for you, including the Sword of Gryffindor. The Ministry invoked its right to examine Dumbledore's bequests, but they sent them about a week ago. Didn't you know? He left a rather astonishing amount of memories along with it as well," Hermione said, pointing to an ornate carved wooden box sitting on one of the chairs pulled away from the table.

Harry frowned, wondering what else Dumbledore had left him. No one had seen fit to tell Harry that Dumbledore had left him anything, let alone the fact that the bloody Ministry had taken possession of all of it. Just as Harry was about to start ranting about not being told anything, The Potions and Defence Professors joined Harry and Hermione at the table, Ron and Draco trailing along from the other side of the library.

"Why didn't you tell me Dumbledore had left me stuff in his Will?" Harry snapped at his father, who looked rather taken aback at the sudden venomous attack after spending nearly an hour trying to console his distraught husband.

The stone pensieve was mocking Severus from the table, and he suddenly remembered Minerva telling him that the pensieve had been left to him, but seized by the Ministry. He sighed as he sat down in one of the chair surrounding the table. "To be quite honest Harry, I had completely forgotten. The Headmistress told me about Albus' Will very soon after informing us of his death, and in the panic and hustle that was going on, it was pushed to the back of my mind. I'm sorry. Minerva dropped this stuff off a couple of days ago; I had not even had the chance to go through it yet." He glared at Hermione, who blushed and looked chagrined at being caught out.

"I'm sorry, sir. I saw the pensieve while grabbing a book to look up Tom Riddle's orphanage and I remembered Harry telling us about the memory Dumbledore showed him of the orphanage. In fact, I think there might be a Horcrux there. The Headmistress of Wool's Orphanage, Loretta Brooks, was murdered about a couple of months after Tom Riddle graduated from Hogwarts. Her killer was never found, but an early version of what appears to be the Dark Mark was found over the orphanage. The only reason I found anything about it was because the Daily Prophet reported the odd symbol in the sky over the Muggle orphanage immediately following the murder, suggesting a Witch or Wizard had killed the elderly woman."

"Is it possible that this orphanage is still around? Tom Riddle would have been a resident more than fifty years ago; the place could have been demolished by now," Remus said, his expression doubtful of Hermione's theory.

"I'm not sure if the orphanage is there anymore or not, but it's worth some investigation, isn't it? We've got no other leads, and this has a death associated with it that would be perfect for a Horcrux. Think about it; Tom Riddle despised his Muggle heritage, and the orphanage would only stand as a reminder to him. He'd want some sort of revenge, and I'm sure he was not fond of the Headmistress, as she was most likely not fond of him either," said Hermione with a shrug.

Harry sat down beside his father, his anger over Dumbledore's Will shrinking away at the possibility of finding another Horcrux. "When Dumbledore showed me the memory of him delivering Tom's Hogwarts letter, Ms. Brooks practically begged Dumbledore to take him away, and was upset when Dumbledore told her he'd have to return for Summer holiday. She went over his disciplinary file, and he was a hell of a trouble maker even back then. I'm positive Tom hated that woman."

Severus shared a looked with his husband, both of them in agreement that Hermione was right – they had no other leads and nothing to lose by investigating this one. If they did find another Horcrux, this would be the last one, which meant they could focus on removing the Horcrux from Harry and destroying the rest of them. It was better than nothing.

"Does the Prophet say where Wool's Orphanage was located?"

"London, but nothing more descriptive than that. If I had access to Muggle city records, I may be able to find out if the orphanage is still there," Hermione suggested, knowing she'd be the best one to search through Muggle documents.

"Kingsley might be able to get you access through the Muggle Liaison Department. There's a meeting tonight to discuss the information Pettigrew gave us."

"No! You can't tell the entire Order about the Horcruxes, Dad!" Harry argued, wondering when his father had lost his bloody mind. The last thing he needed was the entire Order skirting around him as if he had some horrible contagious disease.

"I'm not going to reveal the specifics, just let the Order know we've received valuable information. Also, Lucius questioned Pettigrew a bit more before he took him to the Ministry, and he revealed a few more things, like where some of the Death Eater safe houses are, and Voldemort's last known location. We kidnapped Wormtail from a temporary strong hold, which the Dark Lord was getting ready to abandon. Pettigrew unfortunately did not know for sure which of the safe houses Voldemort was taking over next," Severus revealed. He had not told his son about the additional questioning, and feared that Harry was going to fly off the handle again about information being withheld from him. Thankfully, the boy simply nodded, relaxing after his brief panic.

"Until we can get these records and go through them, keep researching ways to destroy the Horcruxes and how to exorcise them. That's really all we can do for now," said Remus, the desperate edge in his voice causing Severus to reach over and gently squeeze his hand under the table. They had both had a tense moment over Sirius being exonerated, but they had worked it out quickly enough.

The couple had vowed to not let their problems drag out into the fights they had become recently in order to keep themselves sane and together. Harry had helped them realize that they needed a change before their daughter arrived, because things were bound to get even more difficult with an infant around. Severus had had a slight panic attack, wondering what on Earth they were doing, bringing another child into this fucked up world. Remus had soothed his worries with kisses and assured him that everything would turn out just fine. The baby wasn't due for another couple of months. Hopefully there would be no war to worry about anymore by the time their baby girl arrived.

As the group started to split up, Aurora entered the library, returning the greetings she received from the room, hugging Harry back when he approached her. Her smile did not reach her eyes, however, and Severus and Remus were immediately on alert.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to St. Mungo's to see a Healer. I should be back really soon."

Remus stood and offered his seat to the pregnant woman. For a second it looked as though she would refuse, but she took the chair anyways as she realized that she would not be able to keep anything from these men.

"Is everything alright? I thought your next appointment wasn't until next Monday," Severus asked, trying to keep the slight edge of panic out of his voice. After having his episode earlier and reaffirming his decision to have this baby, he couldn't bear it if there was something wrong with the child or the mother.

Aurora sighed and gently rubbed her protruding belly, her violet robes stretched over the ever-growing bump. "I've been feeling a little off the last couple of days, and this morning in the shower, I felt the strangest sensation. It was as though the baby simply kicked, but afterwards, a felt a strong tingle travel through my whole body. It frightened me and I almost slipped."

There was immediate panic as Severus and Remus both crowded around the Astronomy Professor, drawing the attention of the group of teenagers on the other side of the room.

"Is everything ok, Dad?" Harry asked tentatively as he took in the worried expressions on his parents' face. Aurora looked more exasperated than worried, which helped curb Harry's own sudden flare of panic, but not by much.

"Yes, the baby and I are ok. I just experienced something strange this morning that I thought I should talk to a Healer about. Your parents are simply overreacting."

"Overreacting? Aurora, you nearly fell in the shower because the baby kicked! You could have injured yourself and the baby. I think we have plenty of reason to worry. Is this not something typical of pregnancy?" Remus asked, looking as though he felt guilty for not knowing the typicality of pregnancy.

"Magical pregnancies can be very different from Muggle. Am I right in thinking you felt the pins and needles when she kicked, Professor?" Hermione asked knowingly, gaining a few curious looks from the people around her. Trust Hermione to know all about pregnancy as well.

"Yes. The Healer said not to expect that until around twenty-six weeks or so, and I'm only fifteen weeks along. I'm supposed to start taking baths only around twenty weeks for just that reason," Aurora explained, thoroughly confusing all of the men around the table with all the talk of weeks, though Hermione seemed to understand perfectly.

"I read that extremely magically powerful parents can produce even more magically powerful children. Maybe she's developing her magical core earlier than normal?" Hermione suggested.

Aurora nodded with a smile, rubbing her baby bump in small, fond circles. "Those were my thoughts exactly, but I thought I would go for a check-up, just in case."

"You can feel the baby's magical core developing?" Severus asked, wishing he had taken the time to read up on magical pregnancies. He mentally added it to his to-do list.

"Yes, but as I said, it's a little early for the little one to be causing spikes in my magic. I suppose I am doomed to baths for the duration of the pregnancy. Forgive me, Hermione, but I'll probably need your help getting out the further along I get," Aurora said with a slight grimace.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "That's quite alright, Professor. I'd be happy to help."

"I think we should escort you to St. Mungo's. I don't think it's safe for you to be going off on your own, and we would like to be there with you to make sure you and the baby are ok," Remus said, gently gripping the Astronomy Professor's shoulder.

"Oh, I suppose. You two are going to be more doting than even I will be," Aurora teased as she stood with the solicitous help of Remus.

Severus turned to the teenagers around the table, specifically Harry. "We should be back soon for the meeting. If Lucius comes out of his self-induced exile, let him know that the meeting has been moved up from eight to seven."

Harry nodded, moving forward to hug each of his parents and Aurora for good measure. "Please be careful, and come back in one piece."

After the three Professors left, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco all trekked back over to the table covered with notes out of the Cartus Animarum, translated into more understandable language by Hermione. They spent a good half an hour reading and making more notes, but nothing of any use had come to light so far. Harry set his quill aside as scrubbed roughly at his face, feeling the horrible ache of disgust creep back in on him from before. Knowing his friends would start to worry over him if they saw his melancholy expression, he begged off the search by claiming he needed a shower, feeling guilty when he suggested Draco stay in the library. He needed some time alone to think and fret.

Harry turned the tap on in the shower until the water was almost unbearably hot. As the bathroom filled with steam, Harry undressed and set his clothes aside. When he turned back towards the shower, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and paused. Wiping away the fog that had collected on the mirror already, Harry lifted his fringe and glared at the jagged, pink scar that had essentially sealed his fate. He felt the fear and anger grip his heart as he angrily pulled his glasses off and threw them in the basin of the sink, turning quickly away from the mirror and his dark expression to climb into the steaming hot shower.

Harry had already been on a downward spiral for a while now. If he was honest with himself, and he rarely ever was, he'd been getting more and more depressed since he found out they'd be living in Grimmauld Place for the summer holidays. Add two classmates dying, nearly getting your father killed, failing to figure out how to destroy the Horcruxes, and then finding out that you're a Horcrux yourself…Harry was very close to hitting rock bottom, and the part that scared him the most was that he wasn't really that scared at all.

He was starting to feel more numb than anything. After the conversation with Wormtail, Harry knew without a doubt that the Horcrux within him could not be destroyed while he stayed intact and alive. It wasn't plausible. And while they still weren't sure just how they _were_ going to destroy the Horcruxes, Harry was pretty sure he knew how to get rid of the one within him.

A piece of Voldemort's soul was fused with his own. No matter what Moony and his father tried to convince him of, he was sure of that fact. It made too much sense not to be true. The connection he'd always had to the monster, his ability to speak Parseltongue, and the fact that Voldemort couldn't bear to be in contact with a splintered piece of his own soul when he attempted to possess Harry at the Ministry – it was clear that Harry's soul and the sliver of Voldemort's within him were not separate things. It had become a part of him, along with some of the creature's abilities.

The Prophecy suddenly became crystal clear to Harry, and he wondered why he'd ever had trouble understanding it before. Of course neither could live while the other survived. If neither of them could live if _one_ of them survived, then they both must die. It was so easy, so simple, so _unfair_.

Hadn't Harry sacrificed enough for the bloody people already? He'd lost his parents, was nearly killed himself, had a piece of Voldemort's soul attached to his own soul, had a horrible, hate-filled childhood, battled the monster and his stupid minions time and again and tried to protect _everyone_. He'd lost Sirius, Dumbledore and Cedric, Lavender and Michael. Both Remus and Severus had spent time in hospital because of him, and he'd almost lost Draco before he'd truly found him. When would it all end? When would the world deem his price paid?

Then Harry realized that he'd never pay it in full. No matter what he did, people would still suffer and die. The only way to stop it was to stop Voldemort, and the only way he could do that, now that he had all the facts, was to die himself. It was so typical that, after everything Harry had sacrificed and given up, he'd be asked for the one thing he'd still managed to cling onto; his life.

Harry wondered if Dumbledore had known. Perhaps that was why he had assigned Harry the task of finding the Horcruxes and destroying them. He knew that eventually Harry would figure it out, and then he'd have the freedom to make his own decision on how to destroy the Horcrux within him; have someone do it for him, or take action on himself. Dumbledore's request to only share the Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione was so obvious now. Dumbledore thought that, should Harry be unable to take the final step, his most loyal of friends would surely step up and do it for him. How poetic.

But Dumbledore had been delusional if he thought Harry would ever put this burden on someone else. Severus and Remus swore up and down that they would find a way to remove the Horcrux without harming Harry, but he knew they were only placating him. The fear and worry in Severus' eyes as he uttered those words was enough to convince Harry that the man had no more idea how to do such a thing than Harry himself.

Harry had given in, had complied with their placations and pretended to believe them, if only to ease their troubled minds. Harry knew exactly what he had to do, but he would tell no one; not his parents, not his friends, not even Draco. This was Harry's cross to bear, and he would get there, one way or the other.

But he had to wait. They knew all but one of the Horcruxes now, and Hermione's research may have uncovered the very last one. Once it was found, that would be Harry's cue. Until then, he'd nod and agree that they'd find a way, that he wouldn't worry, that everything would work out in the end. Until then, he'd ride this downward spiral until it hit rock bottom once and for all.

* * *

**A/N:** Not quite a cliff hanger, but just vague enough to be annoying. Sorry about that! Please review and let me know your thoughts, especially if you found any of the content upsetting or triggering. I'd really like to know if this upsets my readers, because ***spoiler*** it's not over yet…


	52. Razor's Edge

**A/N: WARNING! GIANT HUGE IMPORTANT WARNING! **Got your attention? Good. Now, this chapter is _definitely_ triggering for those with self-harm and/or suicidal tendencies. If this bothers you, PLEASE let me know I will message you a summary of the end of the chapter so that you don't have to read any upsetting parts. That being said, please don't murder the author…all will be revealed in the end! Speaking of the end, it's near! Again, sorry for the great delay, but life and all that rot. Please read and review!

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**Ch 52.  
Razor's Edge**

A couple of days after the Order meeting, Kingsley flooed into the kitchen during breakfast, delivering the building plans for Muggle London and a history of those buildings. Hermione gaped at the massive boxes full of unkempt documents, and thanked Merlin she had magic at her disposal to help her go through the monstrosities.

Aurora stood from the kitchen table and summoned a trunk from the entrance hall. She turned to Severus and Remus, who were talking quietly over their plates. "I've decided to visit with my parents in Brighton for a couple of days. They wanted to see me sometime before I had the baby. I'm going to see my Healer again before I catch the train. She said the baby was perfectly healthy last time. I'll owl you when I get there."

Severus and Remus both stood, taking turns to embrace the pregnant woman fondly.

"Be careful, and if you need anything at all, let us know," Remus said, kissing the dark skinned woman lightly on the cheek.

"Have a safe trip, Aurora."

The Astronomy Professor accepted all the other well wishes and a quick hug from Harry before taking her leave, her trunk floating along behind her and she ascended the stairs into the entrance hall.

After they had all finished breakfast, Harry, Draco and Ron helped Hermione lug all of the many boxes up to the library, where Hermione taught them a spell to magically locate any documents associated with Wool's Orphanage. After hours of searching, they had a pile of documents, from the original building contract, to the bills of unpaid property taxes and the contracts of renting portions of the building out to make the payments.

Draco was flipping through a folder that detailed the sale of the closed down orphanage to a man named Sir Alexander Murdock. Reading the details of the transfer of the deed, Draco discovered that the man had decided to turn the rundown orphanage into a hotel.

"Have you ever heard of the West London Hotel?" Draco asked the room at large; though he figured Hermione was most likely the one to know. He had never heard of the place, but it was in Muggle London, so that did not surprise him.

Hermione set aside the folder she had been going through and moved over to Draco's end of the table. "That sounds really familiar. I think I saw it on a trip to London with my primary school years ago. They claimed it was haunted. It did look extremely dark and foreboding for a hotel. Is that the orphanage then?"

Draco handed the deed transfer to Hermione, who flipped to the back page and saw the old black and white Muggle photograph and gasped. "That's it! I've been _inside_ that hotel! Oh, no wonder I felt so weird! I was almost nine; I probably subconsciously felt lingering magic there from when Tom was there. That's so creepy to think about…"

"The orphanage was turned into a hotel? Seems a little morbid to me. When was it renovated? I'm sure they must have gutted the place to refurbish everything. What are the chances any sort of Horcrux survived that? I mean, they could have tossed it for all we know," Harry groused, imagining having to crawl through mountainous piles of rubbish looking for an unknown object. The needle in a haystack affect was really starting to close in.

"Well, since the building wasn't actually demolished, just renovated, it's possible it could still be there. It depends on where Voldemort hid it, really. We'd have to go through the building and check for traces of dark magic. If it's there, we'll know," Hermione said confidently.

"'We' is going to consist of Remus and I," the Potions Master said from the doorway of the library. After speaking to Kingsley, Severus managed to convince the Minister that he and Remus should go on this mission alone, that way they did not have to reveal the existence of the Horcruxes to anyone else.

Expecting immediate outrage from Harry about being left here, Severus was surprised when it was Ron and Draco who complained about being left out. He sent his son a questioning look, but Harry just shrugged, as if in defeat. It seemed as though the Gryffindor had learned that yelling and being indignant would not get him very far. However, the seeming complacency worried Severus more than anything.

"I know that you're all part of the Order, but it is not safe for any of you to go gallivanting across London. Remus and I are perfectly capable of handling this. In the meantime, you guys can buckle down on finding a way to destroy these things. If we do find a Horcrux at this hotel, it will be the final one."

The teens all reluctantly agreed, though Harry seemed to not care one way or the other. Hermione started making a game-plan for getting into the hotel, devising a charade where Severus and Remus would pose as Muggle Building Control Surveyors in order to gain unlimited access to the hotel, giving them to chance to explore the building and test for traces of dark magic.

"I think you guys should carry fake credentials, in case you're stopped and questioned by hotel security. However, using Notice-Me-Not charms might keep credentials a moot point. I'll make some anyways, just to be safe," Hermione said, cutting up squares of parchment. She used a spell to make her writing look like type-print and wrote their names, fake I.D. numbers, and official looking seals that read '_Metropolitan Board of Works_'. Finally, she used a laminating spell to encase the parchment cards, thickening them so that they felt akin to a credit card, rather than flimsy parchment.

"I didn't include a picture because I think you should slightly alter your appearances, on the off chance that any magical folk are around and recognize you."

Remus took the card that Hermione held out to him and tested the flexibility, giving the young girl an impressed look. "You're a genius, Hermione. I think the Order needs to utilize your beautiful brains more often."

Hermione blushed, ducking her head as she copied down the address of the West London Hotel and handed it and the other fake credential to Severus. "I'm not sure if there are any floo nodes close to this hotel. Flying might be the best option. It's not too terribly far from here, but certainly not walking distance, either."

Severus nodded, turning away as Remus asked Hermione about the spell she used for the seal printed on their credentials. He caught Harry's eye from across the table, jerking his head to the side to signal that he wanted to speak to the boy. Harry seemed reluctant at first, but followed the Potions Professor to the other side of the library.

"Is everything ok, Harry? I know you'd probably prefer to go along on this mission, but it's much too dangerous for you to even leave this house right now," Severus explained, hoping that his son understood that they were simply trying to keep him safe.

Harry felt his stomach churn at the worried tone of his father's voice. Upon realizing that the last Horcrux was sure to be found tonight, Harry knew that he would have to put the plan he had come up with into effect. The panic that tried to consume him was lingering under the surface of his carefully constructed façade. He could not give himself away and alert anyone to his inner turmoil if his plan were to work. It was just that he had thought he'd have a little more time; time to kiss Draco, laugh with Ron and Hermione, play chess with Severus, learn French from Remus, and of course, meet his baby sister. The pang of deep sadness he felt at the thought of never knowing the little girl Remus and Severus would raise nearly gave the game away, but he held himself in check.

Harry knew that putting the plan into effect while Severus and Remus were outside of the house was the best circumstances he could ask for. If he told his friends and Draco that he wanted to be alone, chances were they would let him be. More and more lately he had been asking for his solitude, preparing himself for the inevitable. More often than not, however, either Severus or Remus would come to find him and talk him into joining the rest of the household once more. It was his only shot, his window of opportunity.

"Yeah, I'm ok; just tired of all this research. We don't seem to be getting any closer to finding a way to destroy these damn things, though I'm glad we seem to have finally found the last one. Now we can focus on getting rid of them."

Harry tried hard not to talk about himself as if he would not be there to help with the research for destroying the Horcruxes. Before Severus could respond, Remus joined them, sending his husband a questioning look.

"It's nearly lunch time. If we're going to do this, I think it'd be best if we headed off before dark. Is everything alright?"

Harry nodded, giving his stepfather a warm smile. "Yeah, everything's fine. You're right; you should probably head out before dark. Just be careful. You saw what happened to Dumbledore's hand when he found the ring. Make absolutely sure all of the protections Voldemort set up around whatever it is are completely dismantled."

"We'll be very careful, Harry, I promise. Why don't you help the others until Molly calls you all for lunch? Hopefully we can make it back by dinner, if we're lucky," said Remus, pulling Harry into a hug. He was surprised when Harry clung on longer and tighter than he expected, but figured his son was simply worried, and held for a bit longer, placing a kiss atop his messy hair.

Severus gathered Harry into another hug as Remus released him, a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that something just did not feel right. He held his son close, knowing the boy was worried, and ran a hand through his hair in a comforting gesture. "Everything will be alright, Harry, you'll see. We've come so far in just a few short months."

"I love you," Harry whispered, hugging each of his parents in turn once more, feeling a lump rise in his throat. He wished they would leave quickly, before he had a chance to fall apart and change his mind.

"We love you too, son. Be good," the Potions Master said, brushing a few stray hairs out of the boys brilliantly green eyes. Something in those eyes was off. They looked too old, too haunted for a seventeen-year-old boy. Severus could not wait for this to be over, if only to bring the life back into his son's eyes.

After Severus and Remus left there was still at least a couple more hours before Molly would call them all down to lunch, and Harry felt as though he was running out of time much too quickly. He had spent a little bit of time with Ron and Hermione, glad when the twins and Ginny showed up. Harry suggested they all play a game of exploding snap to take a short break from all of the research, and everyone readily agreed.

Harry had never had as much fun playing a card game in his entire life. Hermione had chased Ron around the library with her wand drawn after he caused her deck of cards to tumble, singeing her hair. She turned Ron's bright pink in retaliation. Draco had managed to lose an eyebrow when he played against Ginny, who couldn't stop laughing long enough to help him grow it back. The twins had of course teamed up on Harry, who was never any good at the game to begin with. The double deck exploded on Harry's fourth turn, setting his sleeve on fire, as well as both of the twins' ties. The smell of burnt clothing would probably hang in the library for a long time to come.

After they had finished lunch, Harry pulled Draco out of the library and up to the bathroom adjoining their room. The blonde looked bewildered before Harry turned on the tap in the shower, and then moved toward him to begin unbuttoning his shirt.

Draco gripped both of Harry's hands in his own as he reached the last button, looking into his eyes, which seemed much too sad given their current positions. "Are you ok, Harry? You seem a little…off, lately."

Harry tilted his head, kissing the blonde soundly as he wrapped his arms around the Slytherin. "Yeah, I'm ok. Please, Draco…Help me forget," Harry whispered, kissing his boyfriend deeply once more. He nearly sobbed in relief when Draco forewent questioning him and began to undress Harry in return.

Harry allowed himself to cuddle with Draco for about an hour after their too-long shower before claiming he needed to ask Molly something. The kiss he shared with the blonde took both of their breaths away, leaving an ache so strong in Harry's chest that he was so close to changing his mind.

"I love you so much," Harry whispered, running his fingers through Draco's icy locks, kissing his cheeks and forehead.

The blonde gathered Harry close, leaving a gentle kiss behind Harry's ear. It was so soft and caring, so much emotion in one little innocent kiss. "I love you too, Harry. More than anything."

As Harry left to hunt down Molly, Draco couldn't help but feel like that had been sort of goodbye. He heart clenched in his chest, hoping that Harry had simply been caught up in the moment.

S~S~S~S

"Harry! What are you doing down here? Would you like some tea; it's fresh?" Molly asked solicitously as she hopped up from her chair in the basement kitchen, grabbing another cup for Harry.

"I'd like that, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh Harry, when will you learn to call me Molly? Here you are!" Molly sat the cup of tea gently in front of Harry, scooting the boat of milk and bowl of sugar closer to him. She sat in the seat right beside his, which Harry felt extremely glad for.

"Sorry, Molly. Old habits die hard," Harry admitted with a sheepish smile before blowing gently on his steaming tea, taking a careful sip.

"Not to worry, love. Why aren't you cooped up in the library with the rest of the lot? Not that I'm sure you couldn't use the break, mind you. Whatever it is you've all been searching for, you've been at it for quite a long time!"

Harry smiled genuinely at the redheaded woman beside him, feeling a strong surge of gratefulness for this woman's capacity to love everyone, especially children that weren't her own. Merlin knew she had enough kids to spread her love to, but she always seemed to have more in store. Harry remembered the first time he had met the motherly woman, confused on how to get to Platform nine and three-quarters. The immediate sense of affection he felt from the woman, despite the fact that she didn't even know Harry, had always stuck with him. That instinctive mother's love that he didn't remember receiving from his own mother washed over him every time Molly fussed over how skinny he was, or how badly he needed a haircut. Molly Weasley was the mother he never had, and he was glad the woman had been there for him when he needed it most.

"I just needed a break, and I haven't gotten the chance to really talk to you in a while. Thought I'd come check on how you were getting along. You're always worrying over us, so I figured it was time someone worried over you," said Harry, blushing when he saw Molly's eyes become over-bright.

"Oh Harry, you're such a sweet boy," Molly choked as she pulled Harry into a hug, sighing deeply as he hugged her just as tightly back. She released him with a loving smile, cupping his cheeks in her palms.

"I've been doing alright, though I can't say that I don't miss Arthur something fierce. I find myself wanting to tell him so much, ask him things I never thought to ask in all of our years together. I've had to teach myself not to wallow in the regrets of things left unsaid, but to rejoice in the time that I shared with my husband."

Harry gulped, wondering if people would sit around and talk about him this way, expressing their regrets and claiming to miss him. He was sure they would, but it all seemed surreal at the moment. He tried to push those thoughts away as he rested his hand atop Molly's on the kitchen table.

"You're so strong; I don't even understand how you've managed to stay above it all. I miss him too, and I keep thinking of the last thing I ever said to him. I feel so horrible that I never got to apologize or set things straight. I did the same with Professor Dumbledore. I guess I should have learned my lesson about sticking my foot in," Harry admitted, feeling a slight bit of pressure lift from his shoulders as he finally got that off of his chest.

"Harry, Arthur was never angry with you. Severus explained the situation to us after you had left, and we understood. Arthur knew you were under a huge amount of stress; he didn't take it to heart, I promise. You mustn't let things like that eat you up, dear. You cannot take back what happened, and lingering on it will only prolong your pain. I'm sure Dumbledore forgave you for any transgressions before he passed. You've not had an easy life, Harry, and I'm sure your argument with the Headmaster was probably because of some pressure he was adding to your already overstressed shoulders. Albus loved you, as did Arthur. Never doubt that."

Harry allowed Molly to pull him into a hug as tears stung at the corners of his eyes. He bit his lip to keep his emotions in, and only a few tears managed to leak their way out. When he pulled away from the motherly woman, Harry's instinct was to kiss her on the cheek, surprising Molly as he had never done such a thing before.

"Thank you, Molly. I love you as if you were my own mother. You were always there when I needed you the most, and I'm so grateful to you."

It was Molly's turn to choke up as she pat Harry gently on the cheek, sniffling into a handkerchief she pulled from an apron pocket. "I love you too, Harry dear. I could not have asked for a better surrogate son."

Harry thanked Molly for the tea and the pep talk, feeling a little bit better about his plans now. He informed her that he needed some time alone, so he would come down to dinner when he felt ready. She understood his unspoken request not to bother him, and assured him she would keep the others from bothering him until he was ready for company once more.

S~S~S~S

The wrought iron gates of the quaint hotel before them were left open, as if to seem inviting to prospective guests of the establishment. Severus couldn't help but think that the invitation had gotten lost somewhere in the looming shadow of the foreboding building. Hermione had been right; the hotel immediately gave off a sense of unease. The look he shared with his husband was enough to confirm that he had felt it too.

The front lobby was sparsely furnished, but clean and homey feeling. The desk had been erected out of an old sideboard, and adorned with a marble countertop. A pretty young hostess was seated behind the desk, standing quickly when she saw Severus and Remus approach.

"Hello, gentlemen, and welcome to the West London Hotel. Do you have reservations?"

"No, we're actually with the London Metropolitan Board of Works. We're performing random building inspections. We'll just need to walk through the building, assessing the safety measures. We won't be too much of a bother," Remus said, giving the young woman a winning smile that caused her to blush. With his newly almost-black hair and icy blue eyes, he had the young lady quite charmed.

Severus tried very hard not to roll his temporary honey brown eyes at his husband, resisting the urge to also flip his hair out of his face, considering it had been charmed to a severely short length. Surely no one would recognize either one of them.

"Oh, of course! You're welcome to go wherever you please. If you need anything at all, I'll be glad to help. My name is Bridgette."

"Thank you, Bridgette," Severus said shortly as he turned towards the set of lifts just off of the entrance hall, Remus following quickly behind him.

"Well that was easy," Remus whispered as they stepped into the lift, the door making a pleasant chiming noise as it began to ascend.

"I did not really think we would have much trouble, to be honest. I think Notice-Me-Not charms might come in handy, however. We'll need to make sure no Muggles catch us with our wands out."

Remus snorted, but quickly tried to turn it into a cough. He wasn't fooling Severus. His husband sent him a weak glare and huffed indignantly. "You are such a child sometimes."

Remus chuckled, having no regrets to apologize for. "Mm, yes, but you love me all the more for it."

"Prat."

S~S~S~S

The desk in the corner of his and Draco's room was neat and tidy. A stack of thick, fresh cream parchment sat ready in the centre of the desk, the matching cream envelopes waiting to be joined with their letters, once completed. There was a handsome eagle feather quill sitting beside the stack of parchment, the nib sharp and promising a clean stroke. An unopened ink well with charcoal, pearl dust ink sat ready to be used. Everything was set up and ready for Harry to write the letters he had told himself he was going to write.

His Will had already been written, sitting off to the side in an envelope, ready to be sent off to Gringott's once Harry included the letters he had attached to his bequests. The last thing to do was write these letters. Harry had thought long and hard about what he was going to say, but as Harry untwisted the cap on the ink well and dipped the sharp nib in, all the planned words seemed to fade away. He stared at the blank parchment, lost.

An ink drop dripped from his quill, making a perfectly round bubble of blackest ink. As Harry stared at the droplet of ink, it began to spread and dry, the parchment soaking it up like dry earth does rain. Another drop formed at the tip of his quill, and yet the words would not come.

The fear of forgetting something or saying the wrong thing stilted his quill before he could even write the words. What did one say to the people they loved in this situation? Did he need to write to everyone he knew? Would those left without a personal letter feel betrayed and resent him after he was gone?

Severus, Remus, Draco, Hermione, Ron and the rest of Weasleys were the obvious recipients. What about his other dorm mates, or Hagrid and Professor McGonagall? Should he write to his unborn sister? Should he leave a statement to release to the public?

How had this seemed so easy before?

S~S~S~S

The hallways were quiet and deserted. The long corridors were identical on every floor. Small wall sconces alternated every other door, leaving the corridors dimly lit. The light had been intended for warmth, but only achieved more of an eerie atmosphere. Remus and Severus stopped on every floor, casting a few different spells to detect dark magic. When they reached the last floor, the fifth, none of their spells had detected anything out of the ordinary, but the oily feeling of the taint of dark magic still hung thick in the air.

"Does your spell strength feel a little weak to you?" Remus asked quietly as they headed back towards the lifts at the end of the corridor.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I think there might be dampening wards up, but I can't seem to isolate them. Can you untangle them?" Severus grumbled, annoyed that his efforts to find this bloody Horcrux seemed to be going to waste so far.

They stepped off the lift on the third floor, not knowing how the Muggle mechanics of the lift would affect their spells. The coast was still clear, and Remus was starting to wonder if there were any guests staying there at all.

The dampening wards were faint, but Remus could feel them if he concentrated hard enough. Waving his wand in a complicated swirling motion, Remus whispered, "_Finite Incantatum_." Part of the heaviness in the air faded away, and suddenly they could both breathe easier. The wards had been damming the flow of magic in their very veins.

Severus cast another detection spell, and this time it latched onto something. He shared a look with his husband before they both followed the faint blue line of the detection spell down the corridor.

S~S~S~S

The bathroom was dark and cavernous as always. His unclothed footsteps made slapping sounds against the tile, reverberating off the walls and coming back to him like whispers. He didn't turn on the lights, or light any candles. He'd been in this bathroom so many times before that he knew it even in the dark. He came to the drawer he had been looking for, and slid it slowly out, reaching in with deft fingers and extracting the tool he knew was there. The long, straight razor felt sleek and heavy in his palm as he pushed the drawer in and moved to sit against the tiled wall beside the glass shower.

He pulled the blade away from the handle, careful not to run his finger over the sharp metal. He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he laid the razor down beside him. He closed his eyes tight, trying not to second guess himself, but it was inevitable.

S~S~S~S

The last room at the end of the third floor corridor is where Severus' detection spell led. Remus cast a few spells to check for curses, and when they came back negative, he used an unlocking spell on the door of room 313. It beat having to get the Muggle key-card from Bridgette.

Upon entering the room, nothing seemed out of ordinary. The single room held a small, nicely clothed bed which housed a plethora of plush pillows piled high against the ornate wooden headboard. The large window against the back wall had beautiful silk curtains blocking out the afternoon sun. The inspection of the room abruptly ended when the detection spell fizzled out and died before their eyes.

"Hmm, something must be throwing the spell off; possibly wards. It's definitely in here," Remus said with a frown, the slimy feeling of dark magic seeping over his skin.

"Well, I have a strong feeling it's not going to be a pillow or a lamp. It's got to be hidden, somewhere that wouldn't have been affected during renovations," Severus pointed out, trying and failing to cast the detection spell again.

"The carpet, it looks fairly modern, and the floors are wood downstairs. If they just carpeted over the wood – "

"The floorboards."

S~S~S~S

He knew he had to do this. There was no other solution, he knew, and no matter how much his friends and family researched, a better answer would never be found. Harry had known this all along, but it didn't make the razor feel any less heavy as he lifted it again.

He stretched his left arm out, able to make out his pale flesh as his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. His left forearm; that's where his father's Dark Mark was. He thought about tracing it into his own flesh, but his worry about his family's reactions was already topped out. There was no need to get creative. Just one long, straight cut, right down the centre. That would do it.

S~S~S~S

Vowing to repair the damage, Remus and Severus decided to use gouging charms to pull up the layer of carpet. As Remus had suspected, there were old planks of splintering wood hidden beneath the beige carpet.

"Now the problem is figuring out where in the room it's in. We can hardly tear up the entire room," Severus said with a scowl. He had already plucked at least three splinters from his fingers already, and he was sure there was more to come as he glanced at the moulding and decrepit wood. If he and Remus had really been from the London Metropolitan Board of Works, this building would have failed utterly.

"Can't we? We'll put it all back to rights after we've got the Horcrux. This is the most logical place for it to be. Everything else would have been changed during the renovations," Remus said, using a charm to pry a plank of wood up, which splintered and cracked in half, leaving half of it still in place.

"Perhaps not. These could be the original walls, for instance, although I'm sure that window is an addition. The main framing structure of the building was kept, just gutted and changed to accommodate the hotel's needs." Severus had entered what Remus affectionately called 'Professor Mode', with his lecture tones in full swing.

"So what, are we going to start knocking holes in the walls as well? There's got to be a better way," Remus insisted, quite desperately, if he was honest with himself.

"Do you have a better idea?" Severus asked, his eyebrow nearly lost in his hair, it had risen so high on his forehead.

"The detection spells might not be working because of some ward in place, but perhaps we're going about it the wrong way. When Dumbledore found that ring, he was cursed horribly. Finding it in a hollow in the wall is just too easy, there's got to be a catch," said Remus. As much as he wanted this to be an easy and pain-free mission, he knew he wasn't fooling himself or his husband.

S~S~S~S

Harry angled the blade down as he held it just above his arm, taking a deep breath as he pressed the cold steel down into his flesh. It stung, and his eyes began to water, but he'd been through worse pain before. _Much_ worse. He dug the blade in a bit deeper, than began to drag it forward, from the crease of his elbow all the way down to his wrist. By the time he got to his wrist, his right hand was shaking so bad that the line wasn't exactly straight, but that was ok with him. It did the job all the same.

His eyes were burning, and the tears had started to fall fast and thick as the blood flowed from his arm. He had intended to do the other arm, too, but his left arm hurt so much, there was no way he could raise the blade, or draw it down his right arm as he'd planned. One arm was good enough. It would take him a little longer to bleed out, but that was fine. His life had never been easy, so it only made sense that his death be just as difficult and drawn out.

S~S~S~S

After casting every detection spell they knew, Remus and Severus were about as frustrated as they'd ever been. None of their spells seemed to completely form, dissipating before they could take effect. Remus had even tried to undo whatever wards were obviously in place, but they slipped out of his grip every time he sensed them enough to cancel them.

"This is _not_ working! What are we missing here?" Remus asked, clenching his wand in his fist as he the urge to punch the wall grew stronger and stronger. Now tearing the room to pieces seemed like a fantastic idea after all.

"I think, perhaps, there needs to be some sort of payment," said Severus, his voice far away as he rolled up the left sleeve of his Muggle coat. The Dark Mark that marred his flesh was on full display, and suddenly the air around them became thick.

"Payment? What do you mean?"

Severus moved around the room, the Dark Mark still exposed. He could feel the torrents of dark magic getting stronger as he moved, an unpleasant tingle prickling at the skin imprinted with Voldemort's mark. "This is precisely what I meant by 'payment'. The magic that's protecting the Horcrux senses the Dark Lord's magical signature from the Mark. It's calling to it."

Remus looked nervous as he watched his husband kneel in the centre of the hotel room. The Dark Mark had gone from a rusty colour to pitch black, something Remus had only seen when Voldemort had used the Mark to summon his followers. "It's feeding off of your Mark, Severus. That can't be good."

Severus glanced up at his husband with a scowl as he turned his arm flat so that the Mark pointed toward the floor. The carpet had been torn up here already, the wooden planks exposed. As Severus moved his arm closer, the Mark began to burn, almost the same way he had felt it burn innumerable times before when being summoned. "Hence why it is called 'payment', Remus. It's not intended to be a pleasant thing."

"You don't know what it'll do to you, Severus. I prefer you live to see our daughter born. If Voldemort hadn't have killed Dumbledore, the curse from that ring would have."

Severus sent a withering glare at his husband. Did the man think he was a complete invalid? "I don't plan on being cursed, Remus. I'm simply trying to locate this bloody thing. Hopefully payment won't be a limb, or worse – a wand."

Something seemed to click in Remus' mind, and with sudden clarity, he knew that's exactly what it was going to take to find this Horcrux. Without stopping to consider his actions, Remus knelt down and placed his wand before him on the floor, rolling it a bit away from himself. The reaction was immediate as the floorboards about a foot away from Severus began to pulse with a red glow.

"Get it, Severus. I won't be able to get near my wand without being cursed six ways from Sunday."

Severus was glaring over at his husband, who didn't dare move from his submissive position, lest he upset the magic protecting the Horcrux. Stupid man. "You may not be able to retrieve your wand at all, Remus. Just because I remove the Horcrux, doesn't mean the curse will end. What were you thinking?"

Remus sighed as he looked at his husband through his peripheral vision, unable to even move his head a few inches to meet the man's eyes. "I was thinking that we needed to get this bloody Horcrux and get back home to our son and unborn daughter. Getting a new wand is a small price to pay for a piece of Voldemort's soul. Now get the bloody thing before it decides to curse me on principle."

Severus continued to grumble under his breath as he moved towards the glowing floorboards. Instead of using a gouging charm, fearing the reaction the magic might have and what it would do to Remus, Severus knelt down and pried the board in the centre up, earning himself a few splinters. He checked for more curses, but there didn't seem to be anything affecting this board, so with a deep breath, Severus reached into the small opening. His fingers met with something damp and soft. Hoping for the best, but fearing for the worst, Severus grabbed the thing – whatever it was – and pulled it out.

"A baby blanket? Really, you'd think Voldemort would be a little less sentimental," Severus groused, holding the dingy blanket out at arm's length, studying the initials stitched into one corner: T.M.R.

"Never underestimate the insane, love."

The red glow seemed faded from the floorboards as Severus stood, folding the offending object up into a small square. The oily, thick feeling of disgust that wafted from the blanket made him nauseous.

Remus' wand rolled back toward him of its own volition, clattering benignly into his knee. With a deep sigh of relief, Remus picked the length of wood up, clutching it tightly. He had been honest; his wand was a small price to pay, but losing one's wand was akin to losing a limb, and he was not looking forward to the magical strain that getting a new wand was bound to cause. He'd had this very wand since he was eleven, and it was like he had almost lost his oldest friend. Joining Severus by the door, Remus lifted said wand and cast a plethora of mending and cleaning charms, putting the room back to rights.

"Let's go home."

S~S~S~S

Harry felt the strength draining from him, slowly at first, then quicker as the blood made such a large pool around him that he started to feel sick just at the sight. He didn't recall how or when, but his legs were now stretched out before him, and he was listing to the side more and more every second that he sat there. He felt cold, so cold, and that's when the thoughts began to flow through his mind quicker than the blood from his arm.

_I should have kissed him one more time...I should have told them I loved them, all of them...I should have hugged my dad and Moony again before they left...I should have told Hermione she looked beautiful today...I should have told Ron that I forgive him for everything one more time...I should have apologized to Ginny one last time...I should have told Dad and Moony to tell my sister that I loved her…_

As the last drops of blood leaked from his arm and his vision began to tunnel, Harry slumped all the way to the floor, his cheek landing wetly in the pool of his own blood. The last thought that swam sluggishly through his brain before he lost consciousness left his lips as well, though no sound accompanied it.

"_I'm sorry..._"

And then all was black, and Harry...was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, this is probably the most horrible cliff hanger of the entire story, and I apologize! However, the chapter had to end here, it didn't make sense without the cut. I'll try my hardest to update a little sooner, but summer school in college is kicking my ass right now.

Also, due to 's insistence on deleting stories that may contains explicit content and/or song lyrics, for all I know, most of my stories could be deleted at any time. If that happens, there are other sites where this story, and my others, are posted, including Skyehawke and PotionsandSnitches, so there will be other places to read it. Hopefully that won't happen, but I'm not holding my breath…


	53. The Pitch

**A/N: **I'm really sorry for the long wait! It was a crazy summer semester of college, and I had to deal with a few deaths and two additions to the family! I realized when going through the rest of my plot that there will only be two, maybe three more chapter before Never Alone will finally be complete. It's been a long an bumpy ride, but I've enjoyed every minute of it! I hope you guys enjoy these last few chapters. Thank you to everyone who stuck through and continued to read, even after all this time. I couldn't have done it without you!

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**Ch 53.  
The Pitch**

The first thing out of the ordinary that Severus noticed when he stepped out of the floo was that the bathroom door in his and Remus' room was open. He distinctly remembered closing it before they had left, and it rubbed him the wrong way to see it open. Before he could voice this, the bedroom door flew open, and a pale and worried Draco ran in.

"I can't find Harry! He told me earlier that he wanted to be alone for a while to think, so I left him alone in our room, but he's not in there now. I've searched the entire house; he's gone!"

Severus felt his stomach drop as he turned and looked at his open bathroom door once more. He saw that Draco and Remus had noticed it at the same time, but he held his hand up, keeping Draco or Remus from moving towards the door.

"Wait here."

"Severus, what – "

"Wait here!" the Potions Master yelled, sending a glare at the werewolf as he moved towards the door, his wand held in his hand. He pushed the door all the way open, pointing his lit wand in front of him. At first glance, the bathroom looked abandoned. His strong sense of smell picked up something that made his stomach roil, however, and when he turned towards the shower, his wand fell from his limp hand.

Blood. Everywhere. And Harry..._Harry_. His knees hit the tiled floor, hard, before he even realized he was falling.

His breath came in short gasps as he crawled forward, unable to articulate anything as he felt warm tears cascade down his cheeks. His hand landed in something luke-warm and wet, and it took all of his willpower not to retch as he lifted his hand and saw it coated in deep red, partially congealed blood. The sound that next came out of his mouth both terrified him and made his throat raw as Remus and Draco broke into the room and flicked on the lights.

"_No!_" Severus screamed again as he gathered his pale, cold son into his arms. Harry was ashen and completely unresponsive. Severus knew when he saw how much blood there was spilt on the tile that there was no chance of Harry being alive. He pulled the teen closer to him as he sobbed uncontrollably into his messy hair.

"No...nononono..._Please_..." Severus heard Remus' voice moaning behind him. He could also hear the sound of someone else hyperventilating, and a short scuffle before a heart wrenching wail echoed off of the tiles around them. Draco was being held firmly in Remus' grasp, his face screwed up in utter anguish as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"_Harry!_" the young Slytherin screeched, fighting against the strong arms that held him firmly against Remus' chest. He wanted to be with Harry, hold him in his arms, shake him until the foolish boy woke up and said it was all a horrible prank.

There was the sound of many footsteps thundering up the stairs. The screams were sure to have alerted the rest of the house that something was wrong. Remus had enough sense to grab his wand and close the bathroom door, locking it and warding it. He ignored the knocks and worried questions coming from the other side as he watched the Potions Master stand, holding Harry's lifeless body in his arms still.

"Take him out of here," Severus choked out, referring to the blonde still clawing desperately at Remus' arms. The werewolf looked up into his husband's eyes, which were haunted and dead looking.

"What do I tell them?"

"Whatever you want," Severus said in a dull voice as he carried Harry over to the long counter between the two sinks that flanked the bathroom. He laid down the boy's body, and leaned over, his body wracked with sobs once more.

"Come, Draco," Remus whispered, pulling out his wand and removing the wards and locking spell. He pulled the Slytherin, who fought hard against him, back into the bedroom, locking and warding the bathroom door once more.

Molly, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George were all standing in the bedroom, watching as Remus led Draco over to the bed, forced him to take a sleeping draught, and laid the boy down. The tears that were streaking down Remus' cheeks terrified the group even more, though none of them asked what had happened.

Remus sat down at the foot of his bed, his head in his hands as he let out some of his own grief. He knew he should stay strong, but the horrible emptiness he felt inside was overwhelming.

"R-Remus?" Hermione asked softly, moving to kneel down in front of him, placing a hand gently on one of his knees.

Remus looked down at Hermione, the anguish on his face enough to tell Hermione something horrible had happened. However, the last the rest of the house had heard, Remus and Severus had gone to retrieve another Horcrux, and Hermione took it all the wrong way.

"Oh no...it's Professor Snape, isn't it? Is he..._dead?_" Hermione whispered, her own face reflecting Remus' pain.

Remus sighed heavily and shook his head, trying to find his voice amongst the panic and hysteria that was threatening to take him over. He couldn't say it out loud, he just couldn't. Saying it would make it real, make it true, and that was the very last thing he wanted.

"Children, I think you all need to leave and give Remus a bit of room, alright? Out with you," Molly said in a stern voice. She was giving Remus such a sympathetic look that Remus couldn't handle it anymore.

"It's Harry...He's d-dead," he gasped, feeling his throat close up as the grief and realness of it all came tumbling down on him like a ton of bricks. He heard the collective gasp, the insistence that that couldn't be true, and the choking sobs that started to take hold of Hermione, who was still kneeling before him.

"What, _how?_ Remus, what in the name of Merlin happened?! You left Harry here; I know you forbid him from going along with you, I spoke to him just a little while ago!" Molly shrieked, her own grief obviously manifesting in rage and hysteria.

"Mum...Mum, come on," one of the twins insisted as they took hold of Molly's arm and tried to lead her from the room.

"No! How on earth did a sixteen-year-old boy die when he was supposed to be safe and sound at home?" Molly screamed, pulling her arm out of her son's grip and moving towards Remus. Everyone in the room jumped a foot when the bathroom door slammed open and a distraught looking Severus Snape stalked out.

"My _son_ is dead because he killed himself, you incorrigible old tart! We left him here in _your_ care while we were gone, so why don't _you_ answer that question?" Severus roared, ignoring the terrified looks he was getting from Ron, Ginny and Hermione, who was still kneeling.

"I...we – Harry came down to dinner and ate with the rest of us, then asked us all to give him a bit of time alone. We had no idea...He never said anything about...Severus, I'm _sorry_," Molly wailed, her tears pouring once more as the twins crowded around her, trying to pull her away and out of the room.

Severus hadn't bothered to clean himself up. His hand was stained red, as were his knees. His robes dripped with it, a large smear covered his chest. Remus looked up and saw all of the blood, and promptly retched, shoving Hermione away when she tried to help.

"Get. _Out_," Severus said in a low, dangerous voice. He was shaking so bad his voice practically vibrated with the suppressed emotion. Ron and Ginny didn't waste any time; they were both still crying and looked extremely hurt and confused. Hermione followed only after Fred came over and helped her up, and George pulled away his distraught mother.

After the room had cleared, Severus stepped towards Remus, who shook his head emphatically and aimed a cleaning spell at the Potions Master's robes. He looked up into Severus' eyes, but there was nothing there but despair and an emptiness that terrified him.

"Severus..."

"I can bring him back."

That definitely wasn't what Remus was expecting to hear. His face was scrunched up in confusion, but then he realized what Severus meant. "No, Severus, you can't. He's g-gone – "

"He's not! I can, I retrieved the ring, I know how – "

"Severus, you can't be serious! Do you want Harry back as some shadow of who he used to be? Even with the stone, Harry is dead! It won't bring him back."

"Shut up! _Please_..." Severus yelled, burying his face in his hands, which were still shaking uncontrollably.

Remus stood up and moved closer to the Potions Professor, pulling the man into his arms. Severus seemed to turn to liquid as he felt arms wrap around him. He went limp, his knees buckling beneath him as he clutched onto Remus with all his might and sobbed into his shoulder. Remus used his extra strength to hold his lover up, pulling him close as their tears mingled together.

"Why...We should have _known_, Remus, we should have been able to stop this! He never said...Oh Merlin, _Harry_..." Severus cried, holding Remus so close to him he was sure he was leaving bruises, but he didn't care.

"We didn't know, Severus. He never gave us any indication. We can't blame ourselves. Maybe...maybe he left a note somewhere. Did you see one?" Remus asked in a hushed voice, allowing the other man to hold onto him with bruising force.

Severus let out a choked sob as he shook his head. "All I saw was him...with _my_ razor, Remus."

Remus clenched his eyes closed, but the tears still managed to squeeze their way out. He stood holding Severus to him for so long his legs fell asleep and his shoulders ached with the effort of holding the man up, but he didn't move, didn't try to calm Severus down. There was nothing he could do, and that was the worst part of it all. Lying in the next room was his son. Dead. Killed by his own hand.

The sound of hearts shattering and broken sobs rent the air for what seemed like hours.

S~S~S~S

"I need to put him under a stasis spell." Severus uttered the first words that came to mind after what felt like days, but was only maybe fifteen minutes of standing there, crying himself dry. If there would be any chance of bringing Harry back, they needed to stop necrosis and rigor mortis from settling in. Severus shivered at the idea.

"Severus, you can't...there isn't any way. You know magic has its limits. Anything thing that could supposedly bring him back would be dark, and it wouldn't be him; he wouldn't be Harry anymore! We need to make arrangements," Remus insisted, pulling himself slightly away from his husband as the man took over his own weight once more.

Severus pulled away completely, walking back towards the bathroom with his wand out. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the shocking sight once more. The blood looked even darker in the bright light. He ignored it as he turned towards his son's body, and felt his heart skip a beat.

He was so pale, looked so small and broken. Severus extended his wand and tried to concentrate as hard as he could. "_Subsisto corpus_." Moving towards the linen closet where they kept extra sheets and towels, Severus pulled out a black sheet, and then carefully lifted Harry into his arms, wrapping the material around him. When he walked out of the bathroom, Remus was checking on Draco, making sure he was still asleep.

"I'm taking him to the lab. Please stay with Draco," Severus insisted as he carefully cradled Harry to him, using one hand to throw down some floo powder in the large hearth. "Grimmauld Place, Potions Lab." He was gone in a tower of green flame, reappearing in his small lab, just outside of the basement kitchen.

S~S~S~S

Lucius startled out of his light doze as a loud knock sounded on his door. He quickly answered the door and immediately felt his heart sink into his stomach as he saw his clearly unconscious son held in the arms of the werewolf, who looked so pale and had obviously been crying. His blood turned to ice in his very veins.

"What happened? Is he alright?" Lucius asked quickly as he allowed Remus into his room to deposit his son onto his recently occupied bed.

"Health wise, yes. Emotionally...none of us will ever be ok again," Remus said cryptically as he gently placed the blonde on the still warm bed. He hated to leave Draco here with Lucius and run off, but he and Severus just couldn't handle the boy's hysterics when they were barely holding onto their sanity as it was.

"Remus, what's happened?"

Hearing his first name from the aristocrat revealed to Remus just how worried the man really was. Perhaps he had underestimated the man's capacity to be human. His guilt for leaving Draco with the man lessened considerably. "It's Harry, he's...he's gone," he croaked, unable to say the word.

"Gone? Did he run off? I don't understand..." Lucius trailed off as he connected all the dots. If the boy had simply run away, Severus and Remus would be out hunting him down, and Draco would be right behind them. If he didn't run away, then he must be – "Oh no...I'm so sorry, Remus, I had no idea! I was sleeping. Was there an attack? I knew I should have left the Silencing charm off – "

"There was nothing you could do, Lucius. There was no attack...it was suicide. I gave Draco a sleeping potion; he was so hysterical and Severus and I panicked. I'm sorry to just dump him on you in such a state, but you understand we have our own grief to contend with..."

Lucius was stunned, completely unprepared for Remus' explanation of the Gryffindor's demise. What on earth could drive the boy to such a decision? And Draco...oh, he'd be inconsolable. How was he going to deal with this? He was horrible with comforting someone, even his own son. "I understand. I'll try to speak to him, calm him down. Give Severus my regards. I'm so very sorry."

Lucius watched as Remus simply nodded and made his way out of the room, closing the door carefully behind him. Lucius sat down on the edge of the bed beside his son, reaching out to gently brush away the too long locks of icy blonde from the boy's eyes. What was he going to say? He thought of the utter despair and life threatening grief he felt when he realized his wife had been killed. Draco would be feeling something similar, he was sure. Despite the fact that Draco and Harry were not together as long as he and Narcissa, he knew the love between them was no less than what he felt for his precious wife. Knowing he needed to wake his son and let him start the grieving process, Lucius took a deep, fortifying breath and drew his wand.

"_Rennervate_."

The gasp and wide eyed look Draco pierced him with clenched at Lucius' heart. It was clear the boy knew immediately what had happened as tears gathered in his blue-gray eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks, his face screwed up in pain as he curled in on himself, sobs racking his body. "_Harry_..." Draco moaned piteously as he clutched his sides in anguish.

"I'm so sorry, my Dragon," Lucius whispered, placing a hand gently on his son's shoulder, the boy's grief causing his own eyes to mist over. He wished he could take his only child's pain away.

Draco finally realized who he was with, and with a heart wrenching sound, sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around his father, gasping and sobbing into the man's shoulder. "Dad...It's my fault, I wasn't with him! Oh Merlin, _Harry_..."

Lucius clutched his son tightly to his chest, running a hand soothingly over his back and into his hair. "It was not your fault, Draco. You cannot blame yourself for the decision he made."

It seemed like hours that Draco sobbed into his shoulder, clutching so tightly Lucius was sure he would find bruises. Eventually the boy cried himself into a fitful sleep. Even then, Lucius held his son close, wishing he could do more, but there was nothing he could say. He couldn't bring Harry back, and nothing short of that would be enough to cure Draco's despair. "I'm sorry, son..."

S~S~S~S

Severus laid his son on one of the long lab tables, then pulled out his wand and transfigured a cauldron into a large bathtub. He gently placed his son in the tub, and started to conjure up water, freezing it in the air so that smooth ice crystals rained down over Harry's pale body. Once the tub was full, Severus placed the sheet over the tub, feeling his heart wrench even more as he covered his son's face.

Once back in his bedroom, Severus went back into the bathroom, and vanished the bloody mess away. He kneeled down, gathering up the razor. He held it in his palm, glaring down at it like it was the tool's fault. He turned and threw it with all his might, watching as it broke apart against the tiled wall. His hands were shaking again.

Severus reached for the handle of the faucet, but stopped as he caught sight of a folded piece of parchment lying against the porcelain. He felt his heart jump into his throat once more, and grabbed it up, calling for Remus as he did so. He unfolded it with fumbling, numb fingers, his hands shaking so badly he could hardly hold the parchment still enough to read it.

'_Dear__…everyone,_

_First things first; I'm so sorry. I should have told someone what I was planning, but I knew all of you would try to stop me, so I kept it to myself. I knew this was how it had to be. I knew when Pettigrew told me I was a Horcrux that my death would be the only way to be rid of that piece of soul. I also knew I couldn't possibly force one of you to do it, so I had to do it myself. I was just waiting, biding my time. When I heard that the last Horcrux had been found, I knew it was time._

_I could have taken a potion, I suppose, or something less...shocking, but I couldn't exactly ask you for a poison without you getting suspicious, Dad. I'm sorry, to whoever found me this way. It was the best idea I had. And you all know how horrible some of my ideas are._

_Draco, I love you so much, and I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you so many times, but again, I knew you would try to stop me. I had to take this on alone, and I appreciate you helping me to carry the weight of the Horcruxes. If there is such a thing as Heaven or an afterlife, I'll be waiting for you here; I promise. I'm going to miss you so much._

_Moony, I don't even know what to say...You've lost so many people in your life, and now you've lost me too. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I stand by what I did. I didn't do it because I was some agonized teen wallowing in his own misery, though I might have done that a bit. I did it to save everyone else, and I hope you can understand that one day. Sometimes solutions aren't so simple. Sometimes goodbye's the only way. I'll be sure to tell Sirius and my mum and dad that you said hi and you miss them. I love you._

_Dad, I know you'll probably never forgive me for this, and I don't blame you. However, I don't want you blaming yourself. This isn't your fault, not in the slightest, and I don't want you to torture yourself over this. I am so very grateful for everything you've done for me, from taking me in, to making me your son and loving me as your own, to helping me find those damn Horcruxes and bearing the burden of keeping them safe. I could never express how very much I love you, and I'm so sorry to put you through this. I promise to tell my mum how wonderful you've been, and James too, just to see him scowl. Please forgive me._

_I've made a formal will with Gringott's. With news of my death, the bequests will be sent to the recipients of my estate. Grimmauld Place belongs to Severus and Remus, however, and my map and cloak go to Draco._

_To everyone else I didn't address personally, most of you will be getting personal letters along with the bequests from my estate. Please accept what I've left for you as a last favour to me, and remember that I love you all, and I'm sorry. I'll see you all again someday._

_With love,_

_Harry James Potter'_

Severus read it three times before handing it off to Remus, who quickly took the parchment and read it all the way through in less than a minute. Severus was holding onto the edge of the counter, his knuckles white from his firm grip. There was nothing left to say, nothing he _could_ say. He looked up and caught Remus' heartbroken expression in the mirror, not daring to glance at his own shattered reflection.

"We need to wake Draco."

"I've taken him to Lucius and told him what happened. I hated to leave him like that, but we can't handle his hysterics right now when we can barely handle our own. We need to talk, Severus. He's my son too, and I can't allow you to use dark magic on him. It won't bring him back, and he'd be so disappointed that you'd try something akin to Voldemort's desperate measures. Please, Severus. I know this is hard, but think of what Harry would want."

Severus scoffed as he gripped the edge of the bathroom counter, trying not to take out his fury and pain on his husband, knowing that the man was feeling the same things he was. "Obviously Harry wanted to die, seeing as how he killed himself," Severus snapped.

"He sacrificed himself, Severus. I don't think he necessarily _wanted_ to die, but he accepted what he thought was his fate. He saw no other way, but he didn't give us enough time to even _try_ to find a better solution. _Damn_ it, Harry…" Remus moaned, clutching his head in his hands as he felt a surge of guilt. He should have made sure to reassure Harry more that they would find a way. What kind of father was he, to not know his son was on the brink of suicide?

"The stone is not necessarily dark, Remus. We could do it," Severus whispered, turning to his husband. His eyes were desperate, almost crazed, and Remus knew the man was only trying to deal with the pain in the way he knew how; find a solution.

"No, Severus. It was created by Death himself, and you've heard the stories; Harry wouldn't really be back, only some approximation. I'm sorry, but we just _can't_."

"Then what do we do, Remus? I don't want to bury my son," Severus croaked, feeling the gaping hole in his chest yawn even wider as he thought of placing Harry in some cold, impersonal box and laying him in the ground to rot, to become a feast for the vermin of the soil. He grabbed his stomach as bile surged and threatened to make an appearance.

"I don't know…

S~S~S~S

The wind was cool, but not cold, and the gusts were just the right strength to push him along on his broom. The sky was a brilliant blue, with only a few clouds, and the trees far below showed that autumn was in full swing, the reds and yellows scattering the ground. He turned his broom and flew for a few minutes, just savouring the freedom. He felt weightless, open, free, and he never wanted it to end.

"Oh, unfortunately my boy, you cannot stay here."

Harry nearly fell sideways off his broom as he heard that familiar voice, the one he hadn't heard since his last harsh goodbye. He whipped his broom around to face Dumbledore, who was floating lazily on a magic carpet that held a garish armchair. It looked positively outlandish, but so _Dumbledore_ that Harry's chest ached.

"Sir?" was all Harry could manage as he flew his broom closer to the man. He looked younger than he had been at the time of his death, his hair and beard slightly shorter and more auburn than grey. His half-moon spectacles were missing, and both hands looked healthy and whole beneath his sparkling blue robes.

"Harry, I would say it's good to see you, but I really would rather not have met you here for many, _many_ years," Albus said, his voice stronger than it had been in the months prior to his death.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it had to be done. Did you know, Professor? Did you know I had one inside of me?" Harry asked, hating how small and desperate his voice sounded. He didn't want the man to know how hurt he was by all of this, but that didn't matter now, right? He was dead, after all.

The late Headmaster sighed sadly, fixing Harry with such a sorrowful look that he felt his eyes begin to sting with tears. "I had hoped to be the one to tell you, my boy. I had always had plans to let you know, but I tried for a very long time to figure out just how to do so. How do you tell someone they must die, lest the whole world come to ruin under a madman's reign? I was foolish; I waited too long, just like with the Prophecy."

Harry gulped, feeling his heart sink to somewhere around his toes. So he was dead. It wasn't as though he was surprised, but it all seemed much more real now. He remembered he'd never see his family or friends again, and the grief that struck him nearly sent him toppling from his broom.

"Do not fret, Harry. You will see them all again very soon. You may have had to die to destroy the Horcrux, but the Prophecy states that one must die at the hand of the other. You died by your own hand, Harry, and so you are not truly dead. Do you know where you are?"

"The quidditch pitch, sir," Harry answered, annoyed with how gruff his voice had become. He'd planned this whole thing out; he shouldn't be surprised he was – wait, did Dumbledore just say he wasn't really dead?

"Yes, the quidditch pitch. I wondered where you'd end up, but now it seems perfectly predictable," Albus said with a little chuckle as he fondly surveyed the goal posts on either end of the pitch and the wide expanse of emerald green far below them.

Harry was lost now. Was quidditch so important to him that it became his heaven? He'd given quidditch up; that didn't make sense. "Sir?"

"This is your interstice, Harry, or the in-between. You're neither here nor there. Quidditch offered you the most joy and freedom in your life, and so in order to gently carry you to the After Life, fate decided to carry you through here. However, you'll not be making the full trip. There are some very important things I must tell you, but we must be quick. You'll need to return soon."

"I don't understand, Professor. How can I return if I'm dead?"

"Because your death was sacrificial, the Horcrux is gone. What remains is your own pure soul. You played the martyr, and so fate is giving you a second chance. It always would, Harry, as long as your death was not by Voldemort's hand. The key was your sacrifice. If you'd died in a quidditch accident, you'd have been sent back still. However, the Horcrux within you would have returned to the living world as well. You figured it out, my boy. I only wish you'd not had to go it alone."

Harry was stunned. He was going back; there was no need for a will or those letters. But it was too late; they'd be read by the time he was back, he was sure. He was not looking forward to his family's reactions to his decision. "Everyone was so sure there'd be another way, but I knew better. I don't know how, I just knew. So I was right, it was the only way?"

"Yes, Harry. I'm so sorry it had to be that way. But alas, we digress, and I cannot fathom you going back without this information. You must remember this, Harry, so pay careful attention," the Headmaster said firmly. The sparkle was back in his icy blue eyes, and Harry couldn't believe how much he'd missed that gaze.

"Ok."

"The Horcrux within you and the one your parents went to retrieve were not the last of the Horcruxes."

Harry nearly fell off his broom once more, and desperately wished he had something more stable, like Dumbledore's carpet. He sighed in relief when one suddenly appeared beneath him. "Are you kidding me? The bastard made more? Er…sorry, Professor."

Albus chuckled warmly once more, shaking his head slowly. "No, Voldemort did not make more than we've discussed previously, but the Horcrux I had gone to destroy the night Voldemort cornered me…I regret to say I did not have a chance to destroy it before my final duel. It is still there, Harry."

"Oh Merlin…But they have no idea! They could think that they're all gone and try to go after him!" Harry panicked, thinking of how much danger his friends and family were in if they tried to make a move without that last Horcrux.

"Now, now, Harry. Think – you had not yet figured out a way to even destroy the remaining Horcruxes, and you've not been gone long. Everyone will be too worried grieving over you to worry much about Voldemort, I assure you. Now, I made a grave mistake in not making some note of where I was going that night. I have no excuses, just my old age and concern for you. You'll remember I had promised to take you with, but changed my mind last minute?"

Harry blushed, remembering the horrible things he had said to Headmaster following the meeting where Dumbledore said he couldn't go with to retrieve the Horcrux. It was one of the biggest regrets of Harry's life, right alongside his treatment of Arthur Weasley before the man's sudden passing. He would never forget that night or his harsh words. "Yes, sir, I remember. And I'm sorry."

Dumbledore cut him off, obviously starting to worry for the amount of time they had left before Harry would somehow be sent back. "I understand my boy, truly. I do not hold it against you. I could have avoided that scene altogether if I had simply been honest with you. The reason I decided not to take you along with me after all is because the Horcrux is located in the graveyard in Little Hangleton.

"I did not want you to have to deal with such horrible memories, and so I tried to spare you by not bringing you along. I do not regret my choice not to bring you; I was killed that night because my strength had run out. I did not trust myself to be able to protect you, and I was right. However, I should have explained myself, and for that, I am very sorry."

The Headmaster had tried to protect him the whole time, and Harry had essentially wished the man dead in return. How horrible could he be? But Dumbledore had said he didn't hold it against him. However, that didn't help Harry not to feel ashamed and guilty. Harry wiped at the tears coating his cheeks, annoyed with himself once more. He'd become such a cry baby this year, and he was tired of it. He was a man now, not a child; he needed to learn how to control his emotions. Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled up a weak Occlumency shield, and the depth of his sadness and guilt felt just that much shallower. He would not apologize again, not when the Headmaster had already told him they had a time limit.

"What is it, sir, the Horcrux?"

"It is the very same scythe belonging to the statue of Death that serves as Tom Riddle Sr.'s headstone that once imprisoned you. If it had been something smaller, I simply would have tried to take it to a safer location to try to destroy it, but Tom must have had very good wards up, ones that I could not detect. He showed up very soon after I made my discovery, and it was too late by then. I did manage to lead him astray in my reasons for being there, however. I told him I was researching the connection between your brother wands, and I'm sure he believed me. He does not know we've been hunting his Horcruxes, or that we even know about them."

"How do we destroy them? We've searched every book we can find, and Hermione has come up with a few theories, but we're afraid to test them in case she's wrong."

The Headmaster fixed Harry with another one of his proud, sparkling gazes. Harry felt his spirits lift a little as he waited for the answer to that exhausted question.

"How did you destroy the diary in the Chamber of Secrets?"

"With a Basilisk fang. I stabbed it…_oh!_"

* * *

**A/N:** Of course, a cliff hanger. Did you expect differently? I won't promise to update more quickly, because that's a promise I may not be able to keep. There are only a few more chapters to go! Please review and let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to ask!


	54. Things fall apart

**A/N: **I don't think putting a long sappy apology here is really going to help all that much. I'll just say that real life got a bit crazy and I kind of lost my writing mojo. I'm still in the process of getting it back, but in the meantime, have chapter 54. I hope there are still people willing to read after such a long wait. Enjoy!

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**Ch 54.**  
**"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold"**

Ron and Hermione were in the basement kitchen, both desolately staring into lukewarm cups of tea. Molly had been inconsolable. The twins and Ginny had opted to take their mother upstairs and try to soothe her, while still dealing with their own grief. Ron had clung desperately to Hermione as soon as she had come out of the Professors' room. He didn't know how long they stood together and cried. Ron had been the one to suggest the tea, but it tasted like ash in their mouths.

What felt like hours later, Remus came into the kitchen, his face pale and drawn with red rimmed eyes and dishevelled hair.

"Oh, there you two are. I wanted to check on you both."

Hermione's eyes instantly filled with tears as she quickly stood from the table and moved around it. Remus automatically opened his arms to her, feeling his eyes prickle with tears once more. Ron's eyes met the older man's from across the table, and Remus gestured to Ron that it was ok to join the impromptu group hug.

"How can you worry about us, Professor?" Ron asked, his voice hoarse from all of the crying he'd already done. He had walked around the table and wrapped himself around Hermione, allowing Remus to gently squeeze his shoulder to comfort him.

"Because in a way, you're all my children too. Severus is too upset to really think about anyone else, but I hardly blame him. It's just…such a shock. I had no idea Harry had even thought about doing such a thing."

"None of us did. Oh, how did we _miss_ it? Every time we tried to get him to research a way, he'd lead us back into looking up a way to destroy the Horcruxes. He'd had it all planned!" Hermione wailed, her panic rising once more. Ron hugged her tighter and felt the Defence Professor's other arm wrap around them both.

"Shh, Hermione…"

There was nothing else to say, no reassurances that it wasn't their fault. They all thought it, all felt it; they all blamed themselves for Harry's decision, but none of them were willing to vocalize it. The kitchen door opening alerted them that they weren't alone in the house, and they were all surprised to see the Potions Master, looking about a hundred times worse than Remus did.

Before Severus could get a single word out of his mouth, a loud crashing noise and a very quiet moan startled them all. With eyes as wide as galleons, they all turned as one to stare at the door leading to Severus' potions lab. Remus and Severus both had their wands drawn and were moving towards the door, their hearts in their throats.

"What in Merlin's name…?" Ron muttered as he and Hermione moved slowly behind their professors, their wands out as well.

Severus lit his wand as he pushed open the door of the lab, letting the light bleed across the floor. What looked like shards of glass glittered back at them, and with a jolt, Severus realized it was ice. The same ice he had placed over Harry. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the overhead lights in the lab flared to life, lighting the entire room.

The cauldron-turned-bathtub that Harry had laid in was on its side, the ice crystals scattered about. The black sheet, however, was gone. And so was Harry.

"What in the hell? He's gone!" Severus shouted, turning towards his husband, who was staring into the corner at the desk chair Severus used occasionally. Sitting in the chair was Harry, the black sheet draped around him, his skin still deathly pale and his hair caked with dried blood. His eyes, those emerald orbs that glowed like poison…his eyes were open.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, breaking away from Ron to run towards the chair. Remus caught her by the middle, however, and held her back.

"Wait! Something isn't right, here. Harry was dead; not on the cusp of being saved, but absolutely dead. That cannot be Harry," Remus reasoned, his voice shaking as he felt the spike of hope in his heart that he was wrong. Had Severus used the stone after all?

Harry shivered and pulled the sheet tighter around himself, still struggling to regain his warmth after being caked in ice for hours. He offered a weak smile, reaching a hand out towards his parents. His arm was covered in dried blood as well, but the wound from the blade was curiously healed. "It's me, Moony. I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do."

Severus gaped, wondering if he had actually gone round the twist in his grief. Hearing his son's voice, the very son he had found dead just hours ago, sent a shock of both grief and happiness up his spine.

And then the anger registered.

Harry was alive? _How?_ He had killed himself! The little bastard had torn Severus' heart in two, nearly rending his mind apart with grief as well, and then he was going to sit there and grin like he'd been caught with his hand in the biscuit tin?

"_What in Merlin's bloody name possessed you to do such a foolish, ridiculous thing Harry James Potter Snape?_" Severus all but shrieked, causing everyone in the room to flinch at the volume and harshness in his voice. He felt Remus clutch at his arm, but he roughly shook his husband off.

"Do you have any idea what your stupid Gryffindor martyrdom did to us all? I was _this_ close to following you to the grave! How could you be so selfish, so moronic? _What the hell is wrong with you?_"

Remus finally managed to tug Severus back, holding him firmly against his chest. He could feel his husband's chest heaving in utter rage as he spat vitriol at the son they had thought they'd lost. Remus could feel tendrils of indignant anger at Harry as well, but his joy over Harry being alive eclipsed any other emotions. Severus, however, had a much larger capacity for rage.

"Severus, calm down! Give him a chance to breathe."

"I gave him plenty of chances to breathe! He decided breathing wasn't Gryffindor enough for him, or don't you remember finding his dead, bloody body in our bathroom?" Severus snapped, turning his anger onto his husband instead. He wanted to throw things, to pound his fists into the wall and watch glass shatter. Just as his anger was reaching critical mass, his felt an alarmingly cold hand clutch at his arm.

"Dad…I'm so sorry, but I can explain everything. Just give me a chance. I'm_ sorry_."

"I can't even look at you right now," Severus snapped as he pulled himself away from Remus and made a quick escape away from his son, away from the miserable mix of joy and fear and guilt that threatened to completely consume him.

With a broken sob, Harry ran out of the room too, the black sheet descending slowly to the floor as Ron, Hermione, and Remus all stared blankly at the door.

"What in Merlin's name…?" Ron muttered, snapping Remus and Hermione back to themselves.

"Someone should go check on Harry," Hermione insisted, pulling her wand out and putting the lab back to rights. Her mind simply couldn't fathom everything that had just happened. How was Harry alive? Why was Professor Snape so angry?

"Would you mind, Hermione? I should go check on Severus, before the idiot does something stupid," Remus asked, rubbing his face roughly to try and inspire some sanity back into the situation.

Hermione nodded, pocketing her wand as Ron followed her towards the door. "Of course, Professor."

S~S~S~S

He was emotionally drained, more exhausted than he could ever remember being in his life. His heart had been shattered, repaired, and filled with complete rage in less than twenty-four hours, never mind the amount of magic he had exhausted searching for that Merlin forsaken Horcrux. They had finally retrieved the last one, only to come to a standstill because they still couldn't destroy the blasted things.

Severus couldn't begin to think about the utter despair he felt when he saw his son, mixed with the relief that Harry was alive. His anger eclipsed his joy so completely; he couldn't stand to be around his son at the moment. If he were honest with himself, Severus would know that his anger was a mask, a tourniquet to staunch the flow of his sadness and guilt. However, denial was something Severus definitely excelled at.

Was he such a horrible father that his son would willingly suffer alone and take his own life without even trying to go to him to help assuage his fears and worries? Sure, he wasn't Harry's biological father, and he hadn't been a father for very long, but he had thought that Harry would at least speak to him about his depression and thoughts of suicide before taking the ultimate step.

His instincts had screamed at him earlier before he left to find the Horcrux that something wasn't right with his son. He had always followed his instincts before; as a spy, sometimes his instincts were all that stood between life and death. He had gone soft since ending his career in espionage, and instead of trusting his instincts and staying with Harry, he ignored that feeling of unease in the pit of his stomach, and is son had died alone. After everything Severus had protected Harry from, he never thought that Harry could be his own worst enemy. It appeared that, yet again, he was wrong.

Severus sat down on his bed, reaching over to his bedside table and picking up the folded, slightly crumpled parchment he had found lying in the porcelain bowl of his bathroom sink. He had read it at least ten times already, but perhaps reading it over again would help him glean some understanding.

Remus slowly opened the bedroom door, afraid of waking Severus, should his husband be asleep. The potions professor was awake, however, lying with his back against their headboard, a creased piece of parchment clutched in his hands.

Without saying a word, Remus climbed into bed beside his husband, scooting close to wrap his arm around the man's waist and lean his head on Severus' shoulder. He felt Severus relax in his embrace, moving down to wrap his arms around the werewolf in return.

"I was horrible to him."

"You were upset, love. I'm sure Harry will understand that we're all upset right now, but you also need to try to understand the pressure he was under. The situation felt hopeless even to me; imagine how Harry felt. I'm upset too, but we mustn't take out our emotions on each other. I think you need time to cool off. I sent Hermione and Ron to check on Harry, but I should go check on him myself."

Severus sighed heavily, burying his face in Remus' hair as he tried to put himself in Harry's place. Maybe if he could empathise, he could figure out how to speak to his son once more. "Please make sure he's alright. As soon as I can control my temper, I'll apologize."

"Maybe you should try waking Draco up. Tell him Harry is…er, back. I'm going to check up on Harry," Remus said as he started to pull away from his husband. He lost balance as his arm was pulled back, and he fell onto Severus' chest with an '_umph!_'

"I love you," Severus whispered, leaning up and gently covering Remus' lips with his own, coaxing him into a deeper kiss, the kind that soothed his soul and made him forget about his problems, if only for a minute.

"I love you too. We'll get through this, all of us. Just give it time."

S~S~S~S

"Harry?" a tentative voice called through his bedroom door. With a lazy flick of his wand, Harry opened the door to find a tear stained Hermione, followed by a reluctant Ron.

"Have you come to scream at me too? Go on, get it over with. I'm sure Draco is next in line," Harry snapped as he plopped back down onto his and Draco's unmade bed.

"Oh Harry, _why?_ Why didn't you just talk to one of us?" Hermione asked in a small voice as she sat at the foot of the bed.

Harry sighed, wondering when he'd ever be able to figure out the answer to that question. There were so many responses; which one did he choose?

"You guys seem to be mistaken into thinking I _wanted_ to die. I didn't, but I felt I had no choice. Be honest, Hermione; you knew our search was fruitless."

Hermione had fresh tears rolling down her cheeks, sighing in relief when Ron sat on the floor in front of her and took her hands. "I knew there was little chance of finding something, but I wasn't willing to give up. I don't understand, Harry. How are you here – _alive?_"

"It's a long story, and I'd really like to rest a bit before Draco comes in and has a go at me," Harry snapped. He instantly felt guilty, but sometimes Hermione just didn't know when to leave well enough alone.

"Mate, last we saw of Malfoy, Moony was carrying him out of his and Professor Snape's room, passed out, and that was hours ago. Maybe you should find him first, let him know you're ok," Ron suggested as he stood, pulling Hermione up with him. "It would be nice if you'd stop blowing up at us, though. We're just trying to understand. You slit your wrists without giving any of us any warning that you were hurting. We're still trying to figure out when being your best mates stopped mattering to you."

Harry didn't get a chance to respond before Ron and Hermione left the room, leaving him with a ball of self-loathing and guilt in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps Ron was right; how would he feel if the situation were reversed? He needed to find Draco.

S~S~S~S

Harry looked in the kitchen, the library, and his father's potions lab, but couldn't find Draco. Ron had said that Moony had carried him somewhere. The last place he knew to check was Lucius Malfoy's room, but he wasn't quite prepared for that confrontation just yet. He decided he'd check the drawing room just in case.

Remus looked up from his tepid cup of tea, expecting to see Severus in the doorway. He had decided to make a cup of tea before seeking Harry out to calm his nerves, but when he went up to his son's room, it was empty. Perhaps Harry needed some more alone time. Deciding he needed some of his own, Remus had retired to the drawing room, sipping at his tea and staring into the fire, trying to figure out just what he was going to say to Harry.

Instead, Harry was standing there, looking forlorn and miserable. Remus stood and set his tea cup aside, but hesitated. He needed to wait for Harry to come to him.

"Harry."

That was all it took for the teen to walk forward quickly and fling himself into Remus' arms.

"I'm so sorry. I was just trying to do what I thought was right, and now everyone hates me," Harry cried into his step-father's shoulder.

Remus wrapped his arms tightly around his son, resting his chin atop his messy hair with a sigh. "No one hates you, Harry, they're just upset. Sometimes the things we do with good intentions backfire on us. Give them time."

Harry pulled away from Remus long enough to collapse onto the sofa. Remus followed and sat beside him, keeping one arm around his shoulders.

"Why aren't you angry with me like everyone else?"

"Oh, believe me – I was. But it was short lived. I think I am not so quick to judge because I understand far better than the others."

"What do you mean?"

Remus sighed heavily as he pulled Harry closer, relaxing into the sofa. This was going to take a bit to explain. "Harry, after your parents were killed and Sirius was arrested for supposedly killing Peter, I was literally alone. I had been staying with Sirius in his flat, and after his arrest, it was taken by the Ministry. I had nowhere to go, and I wasn't willing to take the hand-outs that people like Dumbledore offered me. I was alone, grieving the loss of everyone important in my life, and devastated that my affliction meant that there was no way for me to take custody of you. I felt useless; I hated myself for being what I am. I was extremely depressed. I ended up on the streets, using every last knut I had to drink myself into a stupor. I was not in a good place. I felt I had nothing left to live for.

I hadn't eaten in weeks, I stopped drinking everything, including water and alcohol. I was essentially letting natural selection do its job. By chance, a Potions Master I had corresponded with after attending Hogwarts was in the backstreets of Knockturn Alley looking for hard to find potions ingredients when he saw me, near death and hopeless. He took me, and then invited me to travel the world with him while he did research. That's where I was before returning to England to teach your third year. While I didn't actively try to take my life, I was letting myself go.

I know what hopelessness feels like; I know how bleak things can seem when you're going through a rough time. But Harry, how many times have we told you that we're here for you, that you're not alone? Despite your doubts about finding a way to remove the Horcrux, you didn't give it much of a chance. If you were feeling down, you should have come to one of us to at least talk to us. What do we need to do to prove that you can trust is infallibly?"

Harry had curled up against Remus' side, his guilt building more and more. He had thought he was doing the right thing, taking the burden off of everyone else's shoulders and taking it all on himself. He realized now how completely selfish he had been. The problem was he could only apologize so many times. There was nothing he could do to fix it.

"I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I'm sorry. I should have talked to someone, but I knew you guys would stop me. Everyone expects me to defeat Voldemort, but do they realize that I'm probably going to die trying anyways? Either way, I'm probably going to die, so what does it matter?"

"Those of us who truly care about you as a person do not expect you to defeat him singlehandedly. We're trying to do everything we can to help you, Harry, but you're blocking us at every angle. Do you remember when you broke the wards around the Quidditch pitch to break up the stone that was heading towards the Professors? You thought you were doing the right thing then, too, but you put all of your classmates in danger in order to try to save the Professors. You can't save the world alone, and we don't expect you to. You have to learn to let people help you," Remus said earnestly. When would Harry ever learn that he wasn't in this alone?

"Dad's never going to speak to me again, is he?"

Before Remus could respond, there was the sound of steps coming towards them, and the weight of someone sitting on the other side of Harry on the sofa.

"Idiot child. How could I possibly never speak to you again?"

Harry pulled away from Remus and turned towards his father, feeling both hope and utter terror rise in his chest. "Dad? I'm sorry…"

Severus sighed heavily and smoothed down his son's frazzled hair, still not quite sure what to feel. He was still very angry; he would be for a long time. But he was also happy to see his son alive. Harry looked miserable, and he knew it was mostly his fault. No matter how angry he was at the boy, he couldn't ever stand that look of pain on his child's face.

"I know you are. I'm sorry for yelling at you, but that does not mean I'm still not very angry with you. I think we still need to talk about this, but later. I'm just glad you are here – that you're safe. I've never been so devastated in my life, Harry." Severus' voice began to tremble, and he stopped before he completely lost it again. He didn't think it would be physically possible to cry any more than he already had, but he could feel his eyes burning.

The door to the drawing room banged open, causing both professors and Harry to jump in fright. Harry stood with a wide smile on his face as he saw Draco come running in, only to have that smile wiped right off of his face when Draco punched him square on the nose – _hard_.

"You fucking bastard! How _dare _you do such a stupid thing and then expect everything to be ok! _Fuck you, Potter!_"

Severus jumped up and grabbed Draco, holding him back. He was struggling against his godfather's hold and trying to get closer to Harry, most likely to land another punch. Remus was checking on Harry, whose nose was gushing blood as he stared at his boyfriend in complete shock.

"Draco – "

"You lied to me! You told me we were in this together, that you'd never leave me. How _could_ you? I hate you! Father and I are leaving. You have fun fighting this damn war alone, since you won't seem to let anyone help you!"

Severus heard the door open once more and looked over his shoulder to see Lucius standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable.

"You cannot leave, Lucius. That was a condition of your release," Severus reminded the elder Malfoy, who inclined his head in understanding.

"Yes, I've already told my son this, but he seems to think we can just waltz out and return home at any old time. He's hysterical. I tried to stop him from coming down here; I apologize for my failure…and your son's nose."

Draco roared in rage, struggling even hard against Severus' grasp. "This isn't a fucking tea party! How can you all stand there so calm? We're all going to die because Potter is too much of an idiot to accept blatant help when it's shoved in front of his stupid nose!"

"Draco, calm down or I'll be forced to stun you. Look, we're all upset and obviously need to work things out with Harry, but you need to relax before you give yourself a coronary," Severus insisted, surprised by how strong his godson was as he held him back from doing Harry anymore damage.

"Fine, you all sit and have your little mediation session. I'm done. Hear that, Potter? _DONE!_" Draco finally ripped himself out of his godfather's grasp and ran from the room, leaving a shocked silence in his wake.

Remus was still trying to heal Harry's nose and clean up the blood, but Harry pushed him away. He moved towards the window seat and curled up on the padded edge, his knees pulled up to his chin. He stared out at the overgrown backyard as tears streamed silently down his cheeks.

"I wish I'd stayed dead."

S~S~S~S

Night had fallen and the residents of Grimmauld Place seemed to be at a loss. Harry wouldn't leave the window seat in the drawing room. Draco was busy moving everything he owned from Harry's room to his father's. Hermione was arguing with Ron about trying to talk to Harry again. Remus was talking to the twins and Ginny about Draco's explosion earlier that day, and Severus was catching up on some much needed sleep.

Molly, however, had managed to sneak her way in to the drawing room without Harry noticing. She had two cups of tea in her hands as she gently sat across from Harry on the window seat, watching as he slowly blinked open his eyes. He was asleep.

"Sorry to wake you, dear. I thought you might like a cuppa."

Harry sighed as he accepted the cup of tea from Molly, though he didn't sip it. He just stared into the murky liquid, as though contemplating whether or not he could drown himself in it.

"You gave us all quite a fright, Harry. I know some of us are taking things better than others. But it seems as though we've all been extremely selfish. We're all so worried about how we feel about everything, but has anyone bothered to ask you how you're feeling?"

Harry blinked up at Molly, feeling the ache in his chest loosen just a little at the sound of her motherly voice. It seemed that whenever everything else in the world seemed hopeless, Molly would always be the constant in his life, offering him an anchor on which to cling when he felt like he had nothing else.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure I could explain how I feel. I feel stupid, guilty, but I'm also angry. Everyone is so quick to tell me I'm stupid for what I did, that what I did was wrong. No one seems to understand that I did it _for _them; I did it so no one else would have to. I know you don't understand what I'm talking about, but I _had_ to die, or else there would be no way Voldemort could ever be defeated."

Molly was frowning, still a little confused as to why Harry was so sure he had had to die, but she wouldn't push him any further. "Did you know you'd come back before you did it?"

Harry met the same honey brown eyes that her daughter shared, and felt as though that gaze was slowly healing his wounded soul. "No. I even sent a Will off to Gringott's beforehand."

The Weasley matriarch looked as though she was going to cry, but she held her tears in, reaching out the grasp Harry's hand. "You're so brave, Harry. Everyone is so quick to see the error of your ways, but no one realizes the huge sacrifice you made to save us all. It's we who are the selfish ones, not you."

"I wish everyone else could understand that…"

Molly pulled her wand and cleaned all of the dried blood from Harry's shirt and face. She didn't even need to tell Harry she was going to heal his nose; Harry was already preparing himself for it. The small 'crack' of the bones going back together made Molly feel a bit woozy and Harry let out a small whimper of pain.

"Now, let's go get you something to eat. You must be famished! You're still far too thin for your age…"

S~S~S~S

It had been three days since The Harry Incident, as it had been dubbed by the twins, and Hermione was back at it again in the library, still looking for possible ways to destroy the Horcruxes.

"I really thought that the variation on a dissolving potion would do the trick, but how are we supposed to test it? There's too much risk," Hermione said out loud, not really talking to anyone in particular.

"We could have stuck Harry's head in it, but he's gotten rid of that one already," Ron quipped as he flipped through another pointless book, not really taking anything he read in.

Before Hermione could yell at her boyfriend, a rather large tome met the back of Ron's head. "Do not joke about such things, you insufferable brat!" Severus hissed as he walked over to the other table and sat beside Remus, who looked completely frazzled as he flipped through a very dusty book in old English.

A few minutes later, Hermione gasped out of nowhere, causing everyone to jump and glare at her as she ran around gathering books from various shelves. She obviously had another idea. Everyone else left her to it; they knew she wouldn't ask for help until she had exhausted every last bit of effort she possessed.

Two hours later, Hermione sighed heavily as she closed another heavy book with a snap. Her hair was frizzier than normal and sticking out everywhere, and there were smudges of ink on her chin, cheek and forehead. She opened another book and started to take notes.

"Professor, where do the souls taken through the Dementor's Kiss go? I've looked in every book I could find on Dementors, but no one seems to know for sure if the souls are destroyed, or if they're somehow stored within the Dementor itself," Hermione asked, all the while scribbling furiously on a sheet of parchment as her finger ran along a line of text in an ancient, dusty book.

"Well, there's been very little research done on Dementors because of the affect they have on people. The only thorough research I've seen was done by a vampire by the name of Claudius Bofinkle. A vampire's soul can only be captured by its reflection in a mirror, essentially trapping it. Dementors do not affect vampires. There are very few non-humans that cannot feel the despair caused by Dementors. Lethifolds are another example, but their lack of ability to communicate renders them unable to do something like research," Remus answered, not sure if Hermione had intended to ask him or Severus, as they were both 'Professor'.

"Where can I find the research Bofinkle gathered?" Hermione asked, her eyes alight with hope.

"It's incredibly hard to find, as people were so prejudiced against vampires when it was first published, it was banned by almost every wizarding bookstore. Why do you ask, Hermione?"

"Professor, if the souls that Dementors suck out are irretrievable and destroyed, we may be able to destroy the Horcruxes by putting them in a room full of Dementors."

Remus blinked slowly, feeling quite stupid that he had never thought of such a thing before. "I never even thought of that! The souls that are taken through a Dementor's Kiss are lost forever; there is no way to retrieve a soul once a Dementor has sucked it out. However, I can understand your hesitancy if the soul is not _destroyed_. Who knows what kind of horrible creature would be created when pieces of Voldemort and a Dementor were combined. The book Bofinkle published is called _Dancing with Despair_. Let's check the library here first; it would not at all surprise me if the Black's possessed such a book."

Remus and Hermione began to search in the most likely sections, joined grudgingly by Ron after Severus grabbed him by the ear and forcefully pulled him over to a book shelf to help with the search. They were at it for half an hour before they heard someone clear their throat. Harry was standing in the doorway, looking both nervous and exhausted.

"I know how to destroy the Horcruxes."

* * *

**A/N**: I know; another horrible cliff hanger. I won't promise that it won't be another long wait, but I will try my hardest to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Only a few more chapters to go, folks! It's been a long time coming. Please review and let me know you're all still interested!

**P.S.** The quote that I used as the chapter title is from the poem "The Second Coming" by poet William Yeats.


	55. Venomous Poison

**A/N: **Ahem…yeah. So, I have like a life and stuff, and as much as this life of mine sucks, it gets in the way of writing. As much as I'd like to devote all of my time to writing, I can't. I've learned, and am reminded constantly, that I really should wait to post my work until it is 100% complete, because I can't guarantee I'll have the ability to devote time to continuing my writing. That being said, this story is near the end, and I won't ever give up on it, even if it takes me ten years to finish it (it won't be QUITE that long!).

So, to an anonymous reviewer or two, I apologize for the long wait, and while I'm flattered you're so interested in the conclusion of this story, I have to think of my real life priorities first. I've had a rough year and never intended for it to take this abysmally long to finish. I've had a few deaths to deal with, a kidnapping, school, multiple jobs, relationships, the possibility of losing the home I've been in for four years now, and the stress of finding a new place to live (and affording that place). I wish I'd been writing instead, trust me. Without further ado, chapter 55!

* * *

**Ch 55.  
Venomous Poison**

"What? Harry, are you feeling ok?" Hermione asked as she stood up and tried to check the Gryffindor's forehead to feel for fever, but he dodged the attempt.

"Yes, I'm ok. I haven't said anything yet because I was too busy being yelled at and punched in the face. I…talked to Dumbledore."

The blank stares all around the library frustrated Harry even more than he was before, and he considered letting them find it out on their own. He realized how stupid that was, as they were trying to help _him_. He couldn't wait until this was all done and over with.

"You talked to Dumbledore? How?" Remus asked, pulling a chair out for Harry beside him. He knew how frustrated Harry was with everyone staring accusingly at him. He wished they'd all let it go, for his son's sake.

Harry sat down and sighed, rubbing his hands over his tired face. "I'm not exactly sure. After I…blacked out – "

"Died. You died, Harry," Severus corrected. He would not let his son sugar coat what had happened, lest the boy forget the seriousness of his actions.

"Yes, after I killed myself, I woke up on the quidditch pitch, flying. Dumbledore was there too, and he talked to me. He told me that my death was the only way to destroy the Horcrux in me, but because I had died by my own hand, I would be sent back. Voldemort and I must die at the hand of the other. I died by my own hand, and it was my sacrifice that destroyed the Horcrux. He also told me that there's still one more Horcrux."

"More? Bloody hell!" Ron shouted, ignoring the shushing noises and arm flapping Hermione did towards him. "How long are we going to be searching for these things?"

"We won't. There's only one more, and I know exactly where it is. Dumbledore told me the best way to destroy them all at once, but if we do that, Voldemort will know. Once his last Horcrux is destroyed, he'll finally feel it, and he'll be mortal once more."

"So, if we destroy them together, then we better be prepared for a battle," Severus said, sharing a significant look with his husband.

"Yes, I think so. I think it's time to call a meeting with the Order."

"Wait a minute. The Order doesn't know about the Horcruxes. Hell, most of the Weasleys don't know about them. What are we supposed to tell the Order?" Remus asked, giving Harry a little bit of pause. The teen hadn't really thought about that. He was so used to everyone around him knowing about the Horcruxes that he almost forgot it was supposed to be a secret.

"Do we really need to tell them the details? We can tell them when and where so they can come up with a battle plan, but why would they need to know about the Horcruxes at all?" Harry asked, receiving a few surprised looks. Did they all think he was suddenly stupid? He ground his teeth together, eager to be alone once more where the only accusations he could hear were his own.

"We'll have to be very careful about this, but I think Harry is correct. We've called meetings based on Harry's visions before; we'll simply tell the Order that this is another one of those occurrences. It will be up to the few of us who know to deal with the Horcruxes, and let the rest of the Order cover us," Severus said, feeling a very ominous feeling take over the room as everyone seemed to realize that this was it; this could mean the end of the war was near.

"What about Harry? The Prophecy states that he has to be the one to kill Voldemort. If so, then he needs to be ready to fight as soon as the Horcruxes are destroyed and Voldemort feels it. He'll know, and he'll be coming after Harry," Hermione pointed out, sharing a worried look with Ron. She had always thought that, in the end, it would be her and Ron by Harry's side. But Harry had so many people willing to stand by him, fight for him and die for him, that it seemed like they'd have to compete for the honour of standing with The Boy Who Lived – twice now.

"Wait, wait! We're forgetting something here; I can't use my wand against Voldemort, unless we want a repeat of the Priori Incantatem fiasco that happened in the graveyard. I don't think I could handle that again. I can't even begin to describe the power it took to force the spell back into Voldemort's wand. I still don't know how I did it, to be honest."

The wand. The Elder Wand. Harry could use the Elder Wand against the Dark Lord, without having issues of twin wand cores. He knew Albus had had the Elder wand at one point because he knew Grindelwald's history and obsession with the Deathly Hallows, but he had never spoken to Albus about it. He knew, though, he was sure of it. The wand entombed with the late Headmaster had to be the Elder Wand. Could this be the opening Severus was waiting for?

Severus had been contemplating bringing it up for a while, but he was unsure of the reaction he would receive. Remus had already expressed his feelings towards at least one of the Hallows, but if Harry's cloak was the real thing, and access to Dumbledore's wand wasn't a problem (if you counted digging it out of the man's grave not a problem), why wouldn't they use this fathomless power to their advantage?

"Well, you could always switch wands with someone when the time came," Ron suggested, his own wand sitting on the table in front of him. The redhead gripped it protectively, as if his wand wasn't up for the switching act.

Hermione too was gripping her wand, as was everyone else. A wand was a very personal thing, very specific to each witch or wizard it belonged to as well. "I don't think that would work. Whoever he switched wands with would have to have nearly the same magical strengths as Harry in order for it to work for him at all. Wands aren't just interchangeable like that. The wand chooses the wizard, remember?"

The brainy Gryffindor was completely correct, Severus noted with an internal grumble. The girl was nearly always right, it seemed. He wondered how she would react to the idea of the Hallows being used. Decision time.

"There is another option," Severus said, drawing everyone's attention away from their wands and onto him. "Harry, could you bring me your invisibility cloak, please?"

"Er, ok…" Harry said, sharing a puzzled look with Remus as he stood up to go fetch his cloak. On his way up the stairs, Harry saw Draco coming down and it looked like he was heading towards the kitchen. He completely ignored Harry, and the Gryffindor felt his anger pulse once more.

"Draco, I wish you would just talk to me. I can't explain myself if you won't allow me to speak."

Draco spun around at the bottom of the stairs, his icy eyes blazing with anger once more. "Explain yourself? What is there to explain? You're a selfish arse who thought only of himself!"

Harry felt the blonde's words like a slap in the face. How could he convince everyone that he had not been thinking of himself in the slightest when he decided to sacrifice himself to get rid of the Horcrux within him?

"I wasn't thinking of myself at all! You know what I was thinking? How much I would miss holding you, and kissing you. How I wish I could meet my unborn little sister. How bad I wanted to be at Ron and Hermione's inevitable wedding. How much I wanted to watch my parents grow old and raise their little girl together. How much I loved everyone I was leaving behind, but didn't feel like I had a choice! My continued existence guaranteed Voldemort's success. I thought I was doing the right thing, damn it!"

Draco was facing away from him with his arms crossed over his chest. Harry had the strongest urge to rush down the stairs and punch the man he loved just to get his attention. There was a heavy silence between them, so heavy it weighed on Harry's heart. The frustration, the pain, the anger – it all gathered in Harry's chest until he stomped his foot and yelled:

"LOOK AT ME!"

The blonde slowly began to turn around, his eyes still averted to the ground. That's when Harry saw the tears falling from him cheeks, gathering on the wool jumper he wore – Harry's wool jumper. Watery, blood shot eyes rose up to meet Harry's emerald, a look of utter anguish carved into his aristocratic features.

"I was so scared, Harry. I felt like my life was over. How else did you expect me to react?"

Harry walked down the couple of steps until he was level with Draco. He tilted the other teen's chin up until he could look into his eyes, seeing all of the pain and anger he felt himself reflected in them.

"I felt the same exact way. I wasn't thinking about reactions; I was thinking about making sure we were the winning side. Maybe I am selfish. I just want my family back, without the suspicion and anger. I want _you_ back."

Draco reached out and brushed the hair out of Harry's eyes, his other hand wrapping possessively around the Gryffindor's hip as he pulled him closer, their noses almost touching.

"I'm sorry I punched you."

"It's ok; I deserved it."

"Yeah, you did."

Harry's frown stretched into a grin. Maybe things would start to get better now. The bitter loneliness of his cold bed had made everything that much harder to cope with in the end.

"I love you," Harry whispered, his forehead leaning comfortably against Draco's.

"I love you too, you prat. If you ever do that to me again, I'll find a way to bring you back to life and kill you all over again myself. Got it?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Got it."

Kissing Draco for the first time in what felt like forever was like rubbing a salve on an aching wound. Only when the door to the library opened and expelled an annoyed looking Potions Master did Harry remember he had been on his way to get his cloak when he ran into Draco.

"I guess I can't be too angry with you," Severus sighed, feeling a knot in his chest he wasn't aware of loosen considerably at the sight of his son and godson together once more.

"Sorry, Dad," Harry said, blushing a little as the Potions Master only shook his head with a faint smile.

"Do not be; just go get your cloak. I need to fetch something as well. Draco, can you let your father know he's needed in the library? We're preparing to call an Order meeting and we need to brief him on a few things. You as well, I suppose."

Draco looked a little surprised to hear of an impending meeting with the Order, but nodded anyways. "Clearly I've missed something, but I'll go let him know."

After Draco had run back up the stairs to fetch his father, Harry and Severus continued up the stairs together at a slightly slower pace.

"Dad, what is this about? Getting my cloak, I mean," Harry asked tentatively, still unsure of just where he stood with his father at this point. The man had been _so_ angry with him.

Severus sighed as they stopped in front of Harry's bedroom door. He wanted to make sure he told everyone together, as he had no desire to explain it all once more. He had already told Remus about it when he first learned of the Hallows, but the man was either playing dumb, or didn't realize why Severus had asked Harry to fetch his cloak.

"You'll find out soon enough, Harry. Get your cloak and go back to the library, all right?"

Harry was still curious and suspicious, but he did what he was told anyways. Five minutes later, Severus, Lucius, Harry, and Draco came back into the library. The Potions Master was the last one in, and he turned to place what seemed like an excessive amount of locking and warding spells on the door, including silencing spells.

"Severus, what's going on?" Remus asked, feeling that same surge of anger he felt before when his husband had been keeping things from him. Only when he saw the white handkerchief in Severus' hand and Harry's cloak upon the table did he realize what was going on. "Oh!"

"I need everyone here to keep an open mind about what I'm about to tell you. I'm sure all of us here have heard the tale of the three brothers?" Severus paused as he waited for everyone to confirm that they knew what he was talking about.

"Well, as it turns out, the tale is not just old folklore, but a true story, in part. Ignotus, Antioch, and Cadmus were three brothers, the last of the male line of a medieval pure-blooded family; the Peverell family. The tale tells of the three brother meeting Death and being gifted with the Deathly Hallows. I have done much research, and discovered that Dumbledore had also researched the brothers. In fact, Dumbledore spent a very large portion of his life researching the brothers, and the supposed hallows they possessed.

"Instead of receiving these three things from Death, Dumbledore believed that the Peverell brothers were extremely powerful, and they created the three Deathly Hallows: Antioch created the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand ever made, but went mad with the power, and it's reputation as the Death Stick was born as Antioch was killed by someone seeking the power of the wand.

"Cadmus created the Resurrection Stone, a stone which had the power to call back loved ones from the dead, as a way of getting back his beloved wife who died in child birth. However, the stone only brought back a shadow of the former person, and Cadmus' wife longed to return to the afterlife. Cadmus killed himself later in life, too consumed by grief from the loss of his one true love. The Resurrection stone was set into a ring, which was then passed down through the generations. Cadmus left behind a daughter, who married into the Laurette family, which was then joined with the Slytherin family, and descended into the Gaunt family. The Gaunts claimed to be descendants of both the Peverells and the Slytherins, and they were correct. Marvolo Gaunt had a daughter, who birthed one son with a Muggle man, whom she had bewitched into loving her with a love potion. She died giving birth to her son in an orphanage; Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Voldemort. That same ring ended up in Voldemort's hands, who turned it into a Horcrux. Dumbledore discovered the ring in the Gaunt home years later, and was fatally cursed by the ring when he destroyed it.

"Ignotus created the invisibility cloak, a most useful bit of magic that was less ambitious than the Elder wand, and less desperate than the Resurrection stone, which passed from father to son for generations, finally ending up in the hands of the Potter heir; Harry.

"These three items are supposed to make one Master of Death, and as such, Voldemort has been after them for years. He didn't know that he once had possession of one, but the one he seeks, far more than anything else, is the Elder wand."

Everyone sat stunned, taking in all of the information Severus had just given them. To hear that a fairy tale one heard as a child was really based in truth that was so heinous, so convoluted was a bit of a conundrum, especially to the pure-bloods who had grown up listening to the tale, but never knowing the true history.

"I've had one of the Hallows this whole time?" Harry asked, rubbing the cool material of his cloak between his fingers reverently. He now knew the importance of receiving it, by way of Dumbledore, from his father his first year of Hogwarts.

"The Malfoys descend from the Laurettes. There's actually a portrait of my great, great Grandmother wearing what we thought of as the 'Peverell ring' in Malfoy Manor. The ring was lost from my family long ago. I never suspected it was anything special…" Lucius Malfoy said, seeming a little punch-drunk after hearing a bit of family history he was not aware of. Most pure-bloods, like the Malfoys, prided themselves on knowing their pedigree very well. It was not often a pure-blood was schooled on their own history.

"But what about the Elder wand? Harry has the cloak, and you have the ring there. What ever happened to the wand?" Hermione asked. She had heard of the Death Stick before.

"The Elder wand, or Death Stick, is infamous for its great power and the number of lives it has taken. The thirst for such power was so great that many have killed for a chance to be the master of such a wand. Instead of being passed down through family, it has passed through a line of power hungry, relentless wizards who have, ironically, almost all died by the very wand they possessed for a short time. The last of the wizards to kill for this powerful wand was none other than Grindelwald. When Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, he became the master of the Elder wand."

"The wand he was buried with!" Draco exclaimed, remembering precisely what the wand had looked like from many years of seeing the late Headmaster use it at Hogwarts.

"So Dumbledore was in possession of all three Deathly Hallows in his lifetime, just not at the same time?" Remus asked. He knew the story of the Deathly Hallows, but Severus hadn't told him that Dumbledore was such a key figure in the story of the Hallows.

Severus nodded as he unwrapped the ring from the handkerchief and displayed it on the table. The black stone was cracked right down the centre, through the etched line that was supposed to represent the Elder wand in the sign of the Deathly Hallows. "Yes, Dumbledore had all three, but never all at once. It may interest you to know that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were actually good friends in their youth, and what brought them together was a mutual interest in obtaining the Deathly Hallows. After Dumbledore learned of their dark history, specifically the Elder wand, he tried to stop Grindelwald from seeking the Hallows, but he failed. Grindelwald killed the previous owner of the Elder wand, and Dumbledore vowed to take the power from Grindelwald, lest he send the Wizarding world into darkness. Grindelwald did terrorize Europe for some time, but Dumbledore ultimately defeated him. His former friendship with Grindelwald is the reason Dumbledore did not kill him, but imprisoned him in Grindelwald's own prison, Nurmengard."

"But Voldemort killed Dumbledore. Wouldn't that make him…Oh, _shit_," Harry gasped, sharing an uneasy look with his boyfriend. That did not bode well for his chances.

"Master of the Elder wand? Yes. However, I don't think he knows that Dumbledore had the wand for so long, or that he is now its master. We need to protect that knowledge at all costs," Severus said, feeling a small ball of fear roil in his stomach. Voldemort could not get his hands on that wand, lest the apocalypse Dumbledore had prevented with his defeat of Grindelwald be completed by Voldemort.

"But then how am I supposed to use the Elder wand against Voldemort. A wand won't work against its true master, will it?" Harry asked incredulously. He should have known better than to think that this would be simple.

"You have to disarm him. Harry, you don't even _need_ the Elder wand! If you disarm him, then his phoenix feather core wand won't work for him either, as it would recognize you as its master then," said Hermione, once again the voice of reason and knowledge within the group.

"Er, Hermione – how is Harry supposed to disarm Voldemort with his wand if the two can't be used against one another?" Ron asked his girlfriend, the look of confusion on his face mirrored by a few others at the table.

Hermione looked crestfallen and a little embarrassed as she shrugged. "That's a good question. It sounded good in my head, at least…"

Harry rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming on. This was all getting a lot more confusing by the minute. In order to use the Elder wand against Voldemort, he needed to become its master, and in order to do that, he had to disarm him. However, the entire reason he needed the Elder wand to begin with was because the twin wands would not work against one another correctly. It was all one big circle of confusion, and Harry was hard put to figure a way around it.

"What if someone else disarmed Voldemort and became master of the Elder wand, and then allowed Harry to disarm them in order to gain the wand's allegiance. If Voldemort is unaware of the Elder wand's loyalty to himself, he'd never know the difference," Draco suggested to the group, although he could already see a glaring hole in that idea, but he'd wait for someone else to point it out.

Lucius leaned forward in his seat and tipped his head towards his son, giving him credit for the idea, at least. "Yes, well, the only time I've seen the Dark Lord disarmed was in the graveyard by Mister Potter when the Priori Incantatem took a hold of their wands, and it was the power of the spell that caused the Dark Lord to falter, not a simple disarming spell."

There was a sudden silence that took over the table as everyone digested the fact that Lucius had been there that night, and on the wrong side of things, and that disarming Voldemort seemed to be an impossible task. The group seemed to be fresh out of ideas as they all looked around at each other, waiting for more suggestions to arise, but none were forthcoming.

"Perhaps we should discuss Horcruxes and come back to this topic later after we've all had some more time to think. There's got to be a solution," said Remus, feeling a sense of dread grip his heart. If Harry _had_ to be the one to kill Voldemort, then they _needed_ a solution to this problem. There was no other way.

"Harry, you said Dumbledore told you how to destroy the Horcruxes, and that there was one more. Care to enlighten us?"

"The Horcrux Dumbledore had been after the night he was killed was never destroyed. He had planned to remove the Horcrux from where it was and take it elsewhere to destroy it so that he didn't risk running into Voldemort. When he got to the graveyard in Little Hangleton, he figured out that the Horcrux was actually part of Tom Riddle Senior's headstone; the scythe that held me captive back in fourth year. He had tested for spells and wards, but didn't detect any. When he made contact with the scythe, some sort of ward _was_ triggered. He didn't give me any more details than that. That Horcrux is still active, but Voldemort never knew that's what Dumbledore was after. The last thing the Headmaster did was successfully dupe Voldemort into thinking that he was really trying to research information on the Priori Incantatem and the twin wand cores."

"So Voldemort still isn't aware that we know about his Horcruxes? That's got to be an advantage," Ron pointed out.

"Of course it is, but we also must be extremely careful. I'm sure he's put up more wards and traps around that graveyard now that Dumbledore snooped once. He's going to be more vigilant of the area for sure," said Remus, feeling a stirring of panic in his gut. Everything was going to be cut-throat from here on out. There was no choice but to risk things they normally would have avoided. If Voldemort was suspicious of the area for any reason, they'd be playing with fire.

"Alright, enough with the suspense; how do we destroy the Horcruxes, Harry?" Draco asked anxiously. Everyone around table seemed to lean forward as one, fixing Harry with intent stares that made his stomach twist. With a deep sigh, he began.

"Dumbledore reminded me that the diary that possessed Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets was actually the first Horcrux I ever came across, I just never knew that's what it was. In the Chamber, I used a fang from the Basilisk to stab the diary, 'killing' Tom Riddle and destroying the Horcrux. Unknowingly, I used one of the only things truly able to destroy a Horcrux; Basilisk venom."

Hermione smacked her forehead, looking crestfallen and angry. "I should have known that! Why didn't I think of that?"

Ron shook his head and grasped her hand on the table top. The look he was giving her was utterly besotted, and it was clear Ron thought her self-shaming was actually attractive. "Hermione, despite popular belief, you're _not_ actually a walking library of information. No one else was able to come up with all that either, so don't you go blaming yourself."

Hermione looked chagrined as she squeezed Ron's hand back, though she still looked disappointed. Suddenly, she sat up straight in her chair, her eyes wide as Galleons as Remus grinned at her across the table, communicating something no one else seemed to understand.

"The dissolving potion! If we use Basilisk venom as the catalyst, it's bound to work!"

"But where are you going to get Basilisk venom? Isn't it incredibly hard to find?" Ron asked, exasperated that Hermione had figured it all out in the end after all.

Severus sat forward, his 'Professor face' on as he began to explain. "One of the lesser known facts about Basilisk venom is that it is nearly indestructible. That is to say, it doesn't spoil, evaporate, or dissolve. Therefore, the Basilisk corpse that still lies in the Chamber should still have a supply of venom."

"Then I suppose a trip to Hogwarts is in order," said Remus.

"I'll go. I've been down there before; I know how to get to it," Ron said, earning odd looks from everyone around the table.

"Ron, you have to be able to speak Parseltongue to get inside. I'll have to go too," Harry reminded the redhead. Little as though he wanted to revisit that place, he was the only one who could open the Chamber.

"_Open. _See, I remember how you said it, Harry. I don't think I'll ever forget, actually," said Ron. Everyone was really giving him strange looks now. It looked as though Draco's eyes were going to pop out.

It took a second for Harry to realize that Ron had spoken in Parseltongue, as the language was indistinguishable from English to Harry. Not for the first time, he wondered what it sounded like to those who couldn't speak or understand the language. "Well you still shouldn't go alone."

"I'll go with him, Harry, but I don't think it would be a good idea for you to leave headquarters," Remus said, cutting Harry's protests off with a firm look. "We'll need a plan. After we finally destroy the Horcruxes, Voldemort will be next. Since it's you that he's after, you'll need to be the most prepared. Get the Order together; Moody and Kingsley specifically will be helpful with planning."

"And I'll be helping Lucius and Miss Granger with their variation on the dissolving solution. We'll need the venom, yes, but the formula must first be perfected," Severus said, sharing a look with Remus that irked Harry. He knew they were trying to keep him in the house, and as much as he appreciated their concern, he was more than ready to get this done and over with.

"Patience, Harry. It's almost over," Draco whispered into his ear, gripping his hand under the table as everyone began to break off into groups, each person knowing their role in what was to come. Harry sighed as he tried to draw strength from Draco's words.

"I'm not sure if I have any patience left. I guess it's time to start the floo network. I'll let Molly know; she worked the network quickly enough last time." He needed something to do, something to work towards. He felt like he was sitting by while everyone fought this battle for him, but he wouldn't let that happen. Yes, he knew he had to let the others help him – that he wasn't alone – but when it came down to it, this was his fight. Harry would be damned if he let anyone else get hurt, or worse, die for him again.

S~S~S~S~S

Sitting at the head of the table in the basement kitchen felt incredibly odd and more than a little pretentious to Harry. He felt more than ever like a child, and struggled to find his train of thought as the Order looked to him for direction. Luckily, Draco was there to help him remove his heart from his throat.

"We'd like to thank everyone for their quick response, and apologize for the suddenness of this meeting, but there is little time to waste, and much to be done. Harry," Draco said, nodding for Harry to take the reins of the meeting now.

Harry had discussed with the few people who knew about the Horcruxes how he should approach the subject, and they had all agreed that the less who knew about them, the better. It was not absolutely necessary for the Order to know the details, but finding a good way to skirt said details was the trick now.

"The final steps to defeating Voldemort are currently in the works, and a battle plan is now needed. Dumbledore left me a very important task to complete before Voldemort could be defeated, and that task is almost complete. Now I need your help getting him in the right place at the right time."

"But what kind of task was it? Why haven't we been told about this task?" Moody asked, his magical eye spinning around and around, making Harry feel vaguely ill. How the man wasn't constantly dizzy, Harry would never know.

"Dumbledore made me vow not to reveal this task. The details aren't important. The point is, the confrontation must happen soon, and we need to prepare for it as much as we can. Are you all in, or are you out?"

"There was never a question of any of us being in or out, Harry. Tell us what you need," Kingsley said, his eyes scanning the rest of the Order. Everyone nodded their agreement with the Minister's statement, and all eyes turned back to Harry, waiting diligently for their instructions. Harry had never felt so nervous in his life.

* * *

**A/N:** I realize this is a bit shorter than average, and I did initially have three more pages included in this chapter, but there was no good cut off spot, as those three pages started a new scene, so I decided to stop it here instead. Those three pages are now the beginning of chapter 56. I promise – this story will eventually be completed. Thank you to those who have stuck with it and continue to have saint-like patience with my abysmal schedule of posting. I wouldn't even bother to finish if it weren't for you lot.


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